MIT news office: "A team of MIT scientists has identified a way to measure visual clutter. Their research, published Aug. 16 in the Journal of Vision, could lead to more user-friendly displays and maps, as well as tips for designers seeking to add an attention-grabbing element to a display."
"The free tool written in MATLAB is available to anyone interested in generating color and contrast "clutter maps" to gauge the clutter level of a display."