Sketch and test: visual crowd research using p5.js
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Designing visual crowd experiments requires both control and versatility. While behavioural and computer sciences have produced a fair number of tools facilitating this process, a gap remains when it comes to the combination of accessibility and versatility. The Processing language is widely used by artist and designers of varying levels of expertise and thus fulfils these conditions. Here, we investigated whether the Processing inspired JavaScript library p5.js can be used for visual crowd research. We specifically explored how to use p5.js in combination with MTurk and report a simple way of using p5.js 'sketches' to perform online tests. We report four complementary experimental paradigms to illustrated the accessibility and versatility pf p5.js: Change blindness, BubbleView, Gauge figure (attitude probe) and Composition. Results reveal that previous literature findings can be reproduced and novel insights can easily be achieved. The creative freedom of p5.js together with low threshold crowd access seems a powerful combination for all areas that involve vision: perception, design, art history, communication and beyond.
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