3M Launches New Visual Attention Software Plugin at Adobe MAX 2020 Creativity Conference, Puts “Visual Spellcheck” at Designers’ Fingertips

3MVisual Attention Software builds upon decades of research to harness powerful AI for creatives.

With 3M Visual Attention Software, you will see what’s likely to attract your audience’s attention and what’s distracting in your designs.

Using the VAS plugin, designers can integrate testing and insights directly into their everyday work stream, putting the unmatched power of science-based AI just a click away. The software simulates first-glance vision to quickly and accurately predict what will attract a person’s attention in the first three to five seconds.

VAS can analyze almost any visual content – web page layouts, digital banners, print ads, packaging and more – and arm designers with data to help make informed creative decisions without needing to wait for results of costly market research. The five outputs give designers science-based data validating that their visual hierarchy has been met. The Heatmap report gives an easy-to-read visual overview of which areas of a design are most likely to be seen, while the Gaze Sequence report shows which four areas a person will view first and in what order. The other reports provide advanced analysis with probability scores on the likelihood of areas attracting attention and visual elements influencing those scores – data a designer can use to design smarter and refine faster.

3M was an early participant in a developer pre-release program for building plugins directly in Photoshop using Adobe’s new unified extensibility platform, its modern framework for building cross-app, native look and feel plugins. Plugins for other Adobe Creative Cloud^® applications will soon follow.

“We’re continually exploring ways in which AI can help our users do their work quicker and more effectively,” said Vijay Vachani, Senior Director of Product Management and Partner Ecosystem for Adobe Creative Cloud. “We’re excited to see 3M bring the Visual Attention Software technology directly to our shared customers in Photoshop, making it easier for them to create visual content with expected user behavior in mind.”

“The 3M name is synonymous with innovation, and increasingly, that means we need to focus our vision on digital advancements. Our Post-it^® Brand has created a mobile app to help bridge the physical and digital worlds. The Filtrete Brand built a system that uses Bluetooth technology to notify homeowners when their HVAC filters need to be replaced,” said Jeffrey Lavers, Executive Vice President of 3M’s Consumer Business Group. “With Visual Attention Software, we’re demonstrating the power of 3M science applied to the creative field – putting data science at the fingertips of designers everywhere.”

www.3m.com

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