Research has shown that, across disciplines, experts look in ways different from novices: they take in the big picture more rapidly and completely, while focusing on the most important aspects of the scene; they’re less distracted by visual “noise,” and they shift more easily among visual fields, avoiding getting stuck. Within any occupation—among surgeons, pilots, programmers, architects, even high school teachers—experts’ gaze patterns are highly similar, while beginners’ are widely divergent and idiosyncratic.
