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Greater Usability of GeneXus Applications with Themes (III)

When defining the basic colors of the transaction or site, you have to take into consideration the theme of the site, the target audience, and the environment that surrounds the user. By Jorge Marmion

Transaction Background Color Definition or Site's

 

According to the "Signal Detection Theory", a statistical model elaborated in the 50s, the human brain interprets and organizes the information it receives in the best possible way when the visual field has the least number of colors and shapes: the less "noise", the clearer the "signal".

 

When defining the basic color or colors of the transaction, the following factors should be considered:

 

-   The theme: Is it a fun site, or a transaction for the stock exchange?

-   The user: Is there a homogenizing factor? Gender, (mostly men or women) age, (a site for the elderly, or young people looking for fun) experience, ( transaction only for the buyers of a company) any other factor? Or are the users a highly heterogenial audience (users of a banks  ATM system, for example)?

-   The environment: What is the degree of stress the operators of the system are subject to (high, as in an air traffic control system, or low, like a user looking for a restaurant for the weekend from their home)? What are the light conditions in the environment (high, like in an outdoor Olympic competition, or low, like in an air traffic control center)?

 

Let us take a look at some quick examples:

 

 

The basic background color of the initial page of the Disney Website

(http://www.disney.com) is blue, a color that besides transmitting trust, calmness, and stability, is perfectly visible for the most of the population. Notice that despite the visual impact there are not many colors: besides the basic blue, green, white and orange were used (all emotional, positive colors).

 

Black was not used on the site.

The areas with less basic color saturation are in the corners.
 
On the other hand, the site of the rock group Black Sabbath is basically black (a color already present in the name of the group). It perfectly matches the group, which tends to use acts of black magic in its shows. The letters in blood red are also adequate, considering the theme of the site. Notice that, once again, there are very few colors.

 


The Avon website http://www.avon.com is adequate for the consumer it mostly targets: women. Soft, feminine colors, aesthetically clean.

 

On the other hand, the site to the right http://www.paomusic.com.br (musical sponsorship of a chain of Brazilian supermarkets) is vibrant, young, aesthetically shocking. The theme is quickly identifiable: it obviously is a music site. But the whole -orange- gives the idea of youth, vibrant and dynamic. Now think about this combination of colors for a tango site, or a classical music site: totally inadequate.

                                                           
Take a look now at these two versions of the same site: Website
?s initial page http://www.lancome.com , 2002 version (left) and 2003 version (right).

 

 

The version on the left is soft, delicate, of a not very aggressive femininity. The picture on the version on the right substantially changed the message: its femininity is much more aggressive, strong, shocking colors. Even red ( associated with passion, love, sex) which was not present in any of its shades in the previous version, has been used. Watch how the picture on the left is part of the whole; it does not divert attention.  The picture on the right is so shocking that it is almost impossible to notice the whole without noticing the picture, which will have a greater impact on the user. Also notice the way in which the layout of the text has been modified.
        
Considering the physiology of the color perception mechanism, the cultural context and other factors, we can establish the following guidelines:

 

-   Use as few background colors for your site or transaction as possible.

-   Color perception is affected by the light conditions of the environment. Consider the light sources (both natural and artificial) of the room.

-   If the background is an image, consider that during the loading time of the frontal elements (foreground) these might not be visible because of lack of contrast.

 

In the next and final edition: selecting colors for transactions


 Jorge Marmion is the author and director of the project that created the
?DB-Examiner,? software elected one of the top 100 Applications in the World by the readers of DM Review in 1998, 1999, and 2000. This software was incorporated to the suite of ERWin products, and distributed by Computer Associates under the name of ?ALLFusion Data Model Validator.? He currently directs the Brazilian Institute of Friendliness and Usability (www.ibrau.com.br) and the Latin American Institute of Usability (www.ilau.org).

 

 

Related
Greater Usability for GeneXus Applications Using Themes (I)
More Usability in GeneXus Applications with Themes (II)
Greater Usability of GeneXus Applications with Themes (IV)
Usability: Color Blindness on the Web