The attentional guidance of individual colours in increasingly complex displays. (November 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Andersen, Emil; Maier, Anja
• Is Part Of: Applied ergonomics. Volume 81(2019)
• Publication Date: 2019-11
• Subjects: Colour -- Attention -- Design -- Visual Interfaces -- Load; Human engineering -- Periodicals; 620.82
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2019.102885
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0003-6870

Abstract

Abstract: The use of colours is a prevalent and effective tool for improving design. Understanding the effect of colours on attention is crucial for designers that wish to understand how their interfaces will be used. Previous research has consistently shown that attention is biased towards colour. However, despite previous evidence indicating that colours should be treated individually, it has thus far not been investigated whether this difference is reflected in individual effects on attention. To address this, a visual search experiment was conducted that tested the attentional guidance of six individual colours (red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple) in increasingly complex displays. Results showed that the individual colours differed significantly in their level of guidance of attention, and that these differences increased as the visual complexity of the display increased. Implications for visual design and future research on applying colour in visual attention research and design are discussed. Highlights: The effect of colours on attention is discussed. Previous research have not considered attentional effects of individual colours. A visual search experiment is conducted to test the attentional guidance of colours. Significant differences are found between individual colours. The effects are shown to increase with complexity of the display.