Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!rutgers!ucsd!sdics!norman From: norman@sdics.ucsd.EDU (Donald A Norman-UCSD Cog Sci Dept) Newsgroups: comp.cog-eng Subject: Re: Color in Screen Displays Keywords: color, screen display, user interface, fatigue, ergonomics Message-ID: <658@sdics.ucsd.EDU> Date: 6 Dec 88 01:44:38 GMT References: <2789@hound.UUCP> <1724@hp-sdd.HP.COM> Reply-To: norman@sdics.UUCP (Donald A Norman-UCSD Cog Sci Dept) Organization: UC San Diego Department of Cognitive Science Lines: 34 In article <1724@hp-sdd.HP.COM> andrea@hp-sdd.UUCP (Andrea K. Frankel) writes: ... red (especially bright) raises the pulse and blood pressure, tending to produce short-term alertness (and, after an extended exposure, increased irritability!). Yellow and orange tend to make people do ... Umm, gulp, the professional scientist in me, coupled with being a professor, makes me say --- wait a moment! There is no evidence for these effects -- no scientific evidence, that is. And, moreover, it would be very difficult to get such evidence, because of the very large numbers of variables that would need to be controlled in such experiments. Yes, I know all about the popular literature on color. But just because it is popular doesn't mean it is correct. Color clearly has effects on mood and motivation, but the effects are apt to be subtle, to vary with multiple factors, and to differ across people (and probaboly differ for the same person at different times). There ARE standards for appropriate colors to be used: there will be a panel at the CHI 89 meetings on this topic. To the writer of the article who was at HP -- contact wanda Smith at HP who is expert on these matters (and who will be on the panel). don norman Donald A. Norman [ danorman@ucsd.edu BITNET: danorman@ucsd ] Department of Cognitive Science C-015 University of California, San Diego La Jolla, California 92093 USA UNIX: {gatech,rutgers,ucbvax,uunet}!ucsd!danorman [e-mail paths often fail: please give postal address and all e-mail addresses.]