One suggestion that I read recently (MacEachren "How Maps Work" Fig 3.30, attributed to Wertheimer) for why some of those sorting examples make patterns more visible is that they allow Gestalt Similarity and Gestalt Proximity to work in concert rather than in opposition. For example, the heatmap (with sorting) places the cells with similar colours closer together in space. Without sorting, the colours suggest a grouping that is inconsistent with the group suggested by spatial proximity. Of course, that is not something inherent to sorting, but it may help to explain why sorting is sometimes effective.
A great read! Thank you.
One suggestion that I read recently (MacEachren "How Maps Work" Fig 3.30, attributed to Wertheimer) for why some of those sorting examples make patterns more visible is that they allow Gestalt Similarity and Gestalt Proximity to work in concert rather than in opposition. For example, the heatmap (with sorting) places the cells with similar colours closer together in space. Without sorting, the colours suggest a grouping that is inconsistent with the group suggested by spatial proximity. Of course, that is not something inherent to sorting, but it may help to explain why sorting is sometimes effective.