Evaluation of Public Space in Traditional Villages Based on Eye Tracking Technology

In the context of large-scale rural construction in China, scientific and effective cognition and evaluation of the visual quality of public space in traditional villages is very important for improving the spatial quality of traditional villages. This study builds a cognitive and evaluation mechanism about the visual quality of public space in traditional villages by focusing on eye tracking techniques in ergonomic analysis, combining the results of subjective questionnaires and empirical judgments about the spatial perception of traditional villages. Lixiang Village in Nanjing is selected as a case to explore a scientific analysis of the visual quality of public spaces in traditional villages by using eye tracking technology to collect the subjects’ observation of different types of public spaces in the village and combining the results of the subjective questionnaire. The results of the study showed that the correlations between subjects’ subjective ratings and eye movement data are not as strong, but only moderate for some of these indicators. Moreover, buildings and structures are the most important factors in shaping the richness of public space. Finally, relevant design suggestions and strategies are proposed: in traditional village public spaces, the visual quality of structures and surrounding enclosing buildings should be focused on enhancing, while the focus should be on optimizing the orientation of paths, and also on shaping the unique visual impression of each public space.