The Psychology Behind Colour in UI and UX Web Design
Key takeaways:
- Colour psychology studies the impact of colours on human behaviour, emotions, and perceptions.
- Using the right colours in your web design can boost engagement and conversion rates.
- Designers must be careful with generalisations, as colour-emotion associations can differ across cultures.
In today’s digital age, creating an effective user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) is critical for the success of any digital product.
UI and UX design don’t just make websites and apps visually appealing but also play a significant role in ensuring that users can navigate these products with ease and accomplish their desired tasks. Since these desired tasks (e.g., conversions) typically generate cash or new leads for businesses, website owners should prioritise UX and UI if they want to succeed.
Though numerous factors determine the success of UX and UI designs, this article will focus on one important one: colour.
Colour is one of the most fundamental elements of designing digital products because it can impact users’ emotions, decisions, and behaviour. Thus, it’s extremely important for UX and UI designers to understand the psychology of colour and use it effectively.
In this article, we’ll explore what is meant by the “psychology of colour” and provide tips for using colour effectively in digital products.
The basics of colour psychology
What is colour psychology?
Colour psychology is a fascinating field of study that explores the impact that colours can have on human behaviour, emotions, and perception. The effects of colour can be surprising, even extending to our sense of taste!
However, the impact of colour on an individual’s perception is not always straightforward, as cultural and personal factors can influence how colours are interpreted.
What is colour psychology in web design?
When colour psychology meets web design, it’s sometimes called “colour theory.” In this field, a set of principles is used to understand and apply the use of colour so that user interfaces are as effective and engaging as possible.
UX and UI designers will study the properties of colour, including hue, saturation, and brightness, and how they interact with one another to create visual hierarchy, emphasis, and contrast. Colour theory also explores how colours can be used to convey emotions, moods, or messages to users and how that can affect user behaviour and perception.
Why is colour psychology important in web design?
Having a thorough understanding of colour psychology can have several positive results for businesses:
1. Aesthetics
A key component of UX and UI web design is creating visually appealing and effective interfaces. Understanding colour theory is essential to achieving this as it can help create a visually appealing website. Proper use of colour combinations, such as complementary or analogous colours, can create a harmonious and pleasing visual experience for users.
Aesthetically pleasing websites are more likely to be enjoyable and therefore offer users a positive experience.
2. Brand personality
By applying colour theory principles, designers can create harmonious colour schemes that reflect a brand’s identity. Whether a business wants to express a sophisticated, fun, or serious personality, colour theory is essential to getting this across effectively.
3. Assist users
Correct use of colour can help highlight important information on websites and guide users through the interface. Designers can also use colour to create a sense of hierarchy, making it easier for users to navigate through the interface and find the information they need.
4. Accessibility
As well as guiding users through interfaces, designers have a responsibility to consider accessibility for people with disabilities. Colour theory is essential in ensuring that websites are accessible to users with visual impairments, and proper use of colour contrast can improve the readability of text.
By using contrasting colours or bright hues, designers can make specific elements stand out from the rest of the interface, making them more noticeable and accessible to the user.
5. Increase conversions
By selecting the optimal colours for buttons, designers can help capture the attention of users and guide their focus towards key elements such as CTAs, icons, or headings. This is essential for online businesses as the efficacy of buttons can greatly affect conversion rate.
6. Recognition
A consistent colour palette that aligns with the brand’s values and personality can help create a memorable and recognisable brand identity. For example, Facebook’s use of blue and white has become synonymous with the brand, making it instantly recognisable.
In summary, colour is a critical component of UI and UX web design, as it plays a vital role in attracting users, conveying emotions, encouraging conversions, and promoting accessibility.
So, now you know how helpful colour can be. But how does it achieve all these results – and how can you achieve them too?
How can colours influence emotions and buying decisions?
7 examples of colour associations
The following are examples of the associated feelings toward different colours and how they may be harnessed in digital marketing to achieve business goals:
Red is commonly associated with strong emotions like passion, love, and anger. In digital marketing, red is often used to create a sense of urgency or to draw attention to important elements on a page. For example, a red “Buy Now” button can create a sense of urgency and encourage users to make a purchase.
Blue is typically linked with calmness, trust, and security. Across digital products, blue is often used to create a sense of trust or to convey a professional image. For example, a bank or financial institution might use blue to convey a sense of stability and security.
Green is connected with nature, growth, and wealth. When green is used in digital marketing, it’s typically been selected to convey a sense of health, wellness, and sustainability. For example, a company that sells organic products might use green to express a sense of environmental responsibility.
Yellow is commonly linked with happiness, optimism, and creativity. Yellow is often used by websites to create a sense of excitement or to draw attention to specific elements on a page. For example, a yellow “New!” banner can draw attention to a new product or feature.
Orange is typically associated with warmth, enthusiasm, and energy. So, orange can be used to create a sense of excitement or to convey a playful image. For example, a company that sells toys or children’s products might use orange to create a playful and fun image.
Purple is often linked with royalty, luxury, and creativity. In digital products such as websites, purple is often used to convey a sense of luxury or sophistication. For instance, a high-end fashion brand might use purple to express a sense of exclusivity and luxury.
Black is commonly associated with sophistication, power, and elegance. In this way, businesses can use it to convey a sense of elegance or a high-end image. For example, a luxury car brand might use black to convey a sense of power and sophistication.
By understanding the basics of colour psychology, UI and UX designers can choose colours that align with the intended message or emotion they want to convey in their digital products.
However, not everyone has the same colour associations.
Colour perception can vary across cultures
Due to different historical and cultural associations with colours, not everyone will make the same ‘colour-feeling’ associations.
For example, in Western cultures, red is often associated with love, passion, and anger, while in some Asian cultures, red is associated with good luck, wealth, and happiness. Similarly, blue is often associated with trust and security in Western cultures, but in some Middle Eastern cultures, blue is associated with mourning and sadness.
Given that colour associations can vary, UX designers need to be aware of this when choosing colours for digital products. Additionally, they must take the time to test their designs to ensure they are effective and appropriate for their intended audience.
Top tips for using colour psychology in UX and UI design
If you want cohesive branding
Designers should use consistent colour schemes across different pages and interfaces so that they can establish a cohesive and recognisable brand. This will help users identify and remember it. A colour palette typically includes a primary colour, secondary colour, and accent colours.
If designers want to ensure continuity and cohesivity, they might benefit from creating a style guide. A style guide is a document that outlines the rules and guidelines for using your brand’s visual elements.
It should include information on your brand’s colour palette, typography, and any other design elements that are specific to your brand. This ensures that everyone on your team is on the same page when it comes to branding.
Expressing brand personality
Before designers start working on a company’s website design, it’s important to have a good understanding of the company’s values and personality. Doing initial research into the business’s ethos, goals, and identity will help to create a design that aligns with that.
While designers should keep colour psychology in mind when trying to express certain brand personalities, they need to remember cultural differences. Due to the difference in colour association across cultures, designers should be aware of these when brands are trying to connect with specific audiences and markets.
Guiding users through interfaces
Colour can be a powerful tool for creating visual hierarchy and guiding users through interfaces, so designers should consider their use of colour for navigational elements.
For instance, designers can use colour to distinguish between different elements, such as headings, subheadings, and body text. They can also use colour to highlight important information, such as calls-to-action or error messages, making them more noticeable and accessible to the user.
Ensuring accessibility
When thinking about accessibility, designers should pay attention to colour contrast as it can greatly affect the experience of people with visual impairments. Designers can use tools like WebAIM’s colour contrast checker to evaluate the colour contrast and ensure that it meets accessibility requirements.
Some designers may use colour alone to convey important information, such as indicating required fields on a form or highlighting errors. This can be problematic for users who have colour blindness, so it’s important to use other design elements, such as text labels or icons, to convey meaning instead.
Poor colour hierarchy can also be an accessibility problem. If a website has too many colours or if colours are used inconsistently, it can be confusing for users with cognitive or visual impairments. So, it’s best to use a clear colour hierarchy for maximum ease of use.
5 best practices when using colour in UX and UI design
- Use colour palettes that reflect the brand’s personality and identity.
- Avoid too many colours or conflicting colour combinations.
- Use white space to balance the use of colour.
- Integrate proven colour theories to influence the emotions of users and their associations with the brand or interface.
- Test and iterate colour choices to ensure they have the desired effects on users.
By following these tips and best practices, designers can create more accessible, engaging, and effective interfaces that capture users’ attention and help businesses achieve their goals.
If you want some help improving your website’s use of colour, get in touch with purpleplanet, and our experienced team of designers will assist you in enhancing your site.