VisualSense
Our Story
The VisualSense platform was created in 2000 by Prof.Dr. Marc Fontoynont after more than 30 years of teaching, research, and consulting in lighting and visual environments across Europe and North America, including France, Denmark, Canada, the United States, and Switzerland. His work bridges academic research and real-world applications in architecture, urban planning, and energy-related projects.
VisualSense is built on a simple but powerful insight : while absolute judgment of a visual scene is difficult – even for experts – humans are naturally very good at comparing visual alternatives. This ability requires no specific training and enables non-experts to contribute meaningfully to complex design decisions.
At the same time, the human brain processes images far faster than text. By leveraging this cognitive strength, VisualSense significantly accelerates the consultation of stakeholders, users, and citizens during project development.
The methodology, known as VisualSense Thinking, emerged from over twenty years of psychometric research conducted at institutions such as ENTPE – CNRS in Lyon and Aalborg University in Copenhagen. These studies involved panels of observers evaluating controlled visual stimuli, leading to a structured and reliable approach to capturing human perception.
Today, the VisualSense platform enables the creation of interactive consultation sessions where participants can evaluate and compare design options. These sessions can take place online, during videoconferences, or in physical meetings using smartphones, tablets, or computers. The platform collects responses in real time, provides instant statistical analysis, and allows detailed data export for further interpretation.
Originally developed for assessing visual environments in cities and buildings, VisualSense Thinking has proven highly effective across a wide range of applications: architectural design, urban development, lighting master plans, and energy infrastructure projects such as wind farms and ground-mounted photovoltaic systems.
In all these contexts, participants are presented with clear and comparable visual content—photographs, calibrated 3D renderings, videos, and increasingly schematic drawings. With the integration of generative artificial intelligence, VisualSense now expands the range of possible scenarios, enabling stakeholders to explore and evaluate a broader spectrum of solutions than ever before.
they trust us
