research-document
Project Atlas -- Foundation Research Plan
Project Atlas -- Foundation Research Plan
Core Insight
Project Atlas should be built from the bottom up.
If we start with artists, we collect observations.
If we start with science, we collect explanations.
Artists become evidence for deeper principles rather than the starting point.
Atlas Structure
Level 0 -- Human Biology
The foundation of the atlas.
Research questions include:
- How many objects can humans perceive at once?
- What makes something visually salient?
- How large must an object be to be detected in peripheral vision?
- How far can the eye comfortably jump?
- How much contrast is required for recognition?
- How quickly can attention switch?
- What contributes to visual fatigue?
Everything else builds on these constraints.
Level 1 -- Perception
Disciplines:
- Gestalt Psychology
- Vision Science
- Human Factors
- Information Theory
- Neuroscience
Example relationships:
Similarity
↓
Grouping
↓
Reduced Cognitive Load
Proximity
↓
Perceived Relationship
These principles have decades of supporting research.
Level 2 -- Universal Composition
Study disciplines that intentionally manipulate perception.
- Architecture
- Graphic Design
- Painting
- Photography
- Film
- Information Visualization
These provide evidence that biological principles generalize across media.
Level 3 -- Masters
Only after the foundations are built should individual creators be analyzed.
The guiding question becomes:
Which biological and compositional principles did this creator consistently exploit?
Atlas Foundation 100
The first milestone is to identify approximately one hundred foundational principles.
Gestalt
- Proximity
- Similarity
- Closure
- Continuation
- Figure/Ground
- Common Fate
- Symmetry
- Prägnanz
Vision Science
- Working Memory
- Selective Attention
- Visual Search
- Change Blindness
- Inattentional Blindness
- Peripheral Vision
- Saccades
- Fixations
Design
- Contrast
- Hierarchy
- Scale
- Rhythm
- Balance
- Tension
- Alignment
- Repetition
- White Space
Principle Pages
Every principle receives its own structured page.
Example:
ATLAS-0001 -- Proximity
Definition
Objects closer together are more likely to be perceived as belonging together.
Evidence
- Gestalt psychology
- Replicated experimental studies
Confidence
0.99
Influences
- Grouping
- Chunking
- Scan Speed
- Memory
- Hierarchy
Used By
- Swiss Design
- Apple
- Dieter Rams
- Dashboard design
- Magazine layouts
Possible Measurements
- Average distance
- Relative distance
- Cluster density
Open Questions
- Does the relationship change on mobile devices?
- Does age influence perception?
- Does culture influence interpretation?
Unique Identifiers
Every concept receives an ID.
ATLAS-0001 Proximity
ATLAS-0002 Similarity
ATLAS-0003 Closure
...
ATLAS-0134 Visual Momentum
All observations reference IDs rather than free-form text.
Open Questions
Each concept includes knowns and unknowns.
Example:
ATLAS-0007 -- White Space
Known
- Improves readability
- Reduces cognitive load
Unknown
- How much white space is optimal?
- Does expertise change the optimum?
- Can AI predict optimal spacing?
Open questions become future research projects.
Evidence Model
Every observation should be classified as one of:
- Measured
- Inferred
- Hypothesized
- Established
Confidence should reflect both the quantity and quality of evidence.
Research Priority
The recommended collection order is:
- Gestalt principles
- Vision science
- Cognitive psychology
- Human factors and ergonomics
- Information visualization
- Composition and design
This order ensures the atlas is built on explanations before examples.
Long-Term Vision
Project Atlas aims to become an evidence-based map of visual perception.
Rather than collecting styles, it seeks to discover universal relationships between:
- Biology
- Perception
- Cognition
- Composition
- Emotion
- Design
Artists, architects, filmmakers, photographers, and interface designers become observations within the same interconnected knowledge graph.
The ultimate goal is to explain why designs work, predict the effects of design decisions, and translate validated principles into practical tools such as design systems, web components, automated layout generation, accessibility guidance, and educational resources.