Metal Forming as a Perceptual System: The Role of AI in Lighting Design
Keywords:
Metal Forming, Visual Perception, Lighting Design, Artificial Intelligence, Visual Guidance, User ExperienceAbstract
This study reconceptualizes metal lighting design as an active perceptual system that organizes user experience and guides understanding, rather than merely serving as a formal manipulation of material. It aims to investigate how AI-supported metal forming strategies influence the quality of visual perception across key dimensions, including perceptual clarity, comprehension speed, visual guidance, visual comfort, and overall preference.
A quasi-experimental design-based approach was employed, in which five original design prototypes were developed to represent varying levels of structural organization and perceptual coherence. These prototypes were used as controlled visual stimuli to evaluate user responses. Data were collected from a sample of 42 participants using a structured Likert-scale questionnaire, whose validity and reliability were established. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, post-hoc comparisons, and Pearson correlation.The results reveal statistically significant differences across all perceptual dimensions (p ≤ 0.05), with highly structured designs achieving superior levels of perceptual clarity, faster comprehension, and more effective visual guidance. A strong positive correlation was identified between perceptual clarity and overall preference (r = 0.78), indicating that user preference is primarily driven by ease of understanding rather than formal complexity. The findings further suggest that the effectiveness of artificial intelligence in design lies not in generating complex forms, but in its capacity to support the organization of perceptual relationships within the design structure. Accordingly, the study contributes a practical framework that advances perception-driven design and supports the integration of AI as an analytical and guiding tool within contemporary design practice.
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