The Visual Effect of Signboards on the Vitality of the Streetscapes Using Eye-Tracking

This study focuses on whether signboards attract people’s visual concentration as a foreground element of the streetscape and check the difference in streetscape image according to the area of the signboard. For this purpose, 133 street-view photographs were taken at five major commercial districts in Seoul and 17 photos were selected for this study. The photos were then classified into the High Signboard Group (HSG) and Low Signboard Group (LSG) according to the area of the signboards and conducted eye-tracking experiments and surveys. Finally, data from 33 people were collected and a t-test was conducted to identify differences between the two groups. As a result, the number of fixations, the fixation time, and the revisits of fixation on signboards were measured higher in HSG, and the distance of gaze movement (saccade) was lower. The results of the image survey analysis showed that HSG groups had low streetscape satisfaction, signboard satisfaction, and streetscape aesthetic quality. However, Dynamic and Interesting factors were high. Taken together, the signboard can be seen as a landscape element that focuses attention by giving people an active and interesting image, which shows the importance and possibility of using signboards in future streetscape design.