Q. What is visual clutter and why does it matter?

It is, as the term suggests, excessive information in the visual field which overloads, confuses, and distracts the viewer. The term is often used in reference to the design of maps and diagrams from which viewers must be able to quickly grasp complex information and relationships. Many of our basic daily tasks, including our ability to extract information from web pages, is significantly affected by visual design strategies and techniques. The more elegant and simple they are, the easier it is for viewers to get what they need. Visual clutter is also of interest to scientists, since a cluttered visual field (such as on a roadway) can interfere with a drivers ability to make decisions, and can even impact the effectiveness of the baggage x-ray process (since each suitcase and its contents are visually unique and must be scanned rapidly by airport personnel). The suitcase below contains something illegal. Do you know what it is?

(Pssst…it contains an explosive called Semtex…but if you were a skilled scanner, you would already know this).