It happens before you even notice. Your eye fixates on certain visual cues before your brain is even consciously aware of it.

What your eye is drawn to is the product of evolution. For example, the eye is naturally drawn to faces, so the brain can then evaluate whether it’s friend or foe. For most of human history, pre-attentive processing has been a bit of a black box. Now we are able to peer inside thanks to Visual Attention Software, or VAS.

VAS applies these principles to predict with uncanny accuracy what will draw your eye first. This isn’t eye-tracking – it’s pre-attentive processing.

It turns out you can affect behavior by understanding the eye’s tendencies. Retailers can use this data to create more attention-getting signs, advertising and websites.

“It’s a numbers game,” explains Kelly Canavan, 3M Global Market Development Manager for VAS, “because the more eyes on it, the more who might switch over and view it consciously.”