Оne of the vital roles of color in the field of marketing, user experience, and behavioral design is using it to influence where people look. If users don’t look at your navigational system, your product won’t be usable. In digital psychology, one of the fundamental skills you need to master is the art of controlling where your users look. In most design work, we control user attention by increasing and decreasing the salience of visual design elements.
Depending on their age, gender, and the impulsivity of their actions, users have different reactions to colors and shades. Although color preferences are not universal, there are universal differences between genders’ preference in some colors over others. Also, color preferences can depend on the age. In the following sections, I will discuss color preferences depending on age, gender, and how they can be perceived differently in various cultures.
Specific colors are linked to certain emotions, but not always. Since we are born our eyes learn about the colors of the real world, with time the memory associates these colors with certain experiences and elements. This familiarity can give the user some context about the goal of the interface.
Harmonious colors give a logical sense to the elements. There are many ways to create color harmonies. One of them is through the use of analogous colors, which are the colors that are close to each other in the color wheel.
The interaction color must be clear in its execution and consistent in the interface. Calls to action must have sufficient contrast with respect to the background and sufficient visual weight with respect to other components so that the user can identify them effortlessly.
Color contrast gives dynamism to the interface. Another form of color harmony is achieved through the use of complements, which are those that face each other in the color wheel. With the use of complementary color elements, you can create an effect of contrast and dynamism in the design.
Defining a color proportion balances the composition. Having colors with more and less presence gives clarity in the style and avoids unnecessary color conflicts.
Color scales reduce the cognitive load. Maintaining the hue but modifying the lightning at different levels helps to separate the elements without overloading the composition.