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Tips on color for interface design
We see and live in a world filled with color. In fact, has many different meanings and can sometimes actually be as powerful as language. A successful digital product relies heavily on the colors chosen for its UI. It’s one of the first things we notice. When done right, something just feels and flows naturally — we are automatically drawn in. It’s often a combination of structure, hierarchy, and colors all coming together.
Having an understanding of color psychology is a key aspect for creating color palettes that work well. Every designer should have a basic understanding in his or her toolkit. Unfortunately, many think that color is purely an aesthetic choice, but it is such a key component which needs to be planed out. In fact, it’s one of the key elements behind the psychological impact you want to have on your users. In fact, it helps your users navigate and interact with a product without friction and effort, thus having an enjoyable experience.
It’s your job to carefully plan out your color palette — not to be taken this lightly. Color can actually make or brake your product. It can elevate it from mediocre to great. A bad color combination may detract you users overall experience, in fact, it can affect their ability to use your product and even provide negative emotions from your users. Make sure you understand the context behind the problem you are trying to solve. Consider the mood you want to set for your user interface, the product space you are in and who you are designing for.
Color does not add a pleasant quality to design — it reinforces it. — Pierre Bonnard
So why put so much effort and emphasis on making the right color choices? Designers and their creatives team have many things to consider when designing products and color must be one of them. Research demonstrates that it actually only take 90 seconds for users to make a subconscious judgement about your product. In fact, it’s estimated that between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color choices alone. Of course, different kinds of products require different methods and you should keep your business goals in mind but as you can see, colour is not just about aesthetic.
