CONTRIBUTOR: Shahjahan Alhassan - 13th Oct 2001

From reading this report I'm sure you'll agree that colour in not something to be ignored. A number of areas need to be looked into if the system designer is to deliver a capable and effective system. The main issues being the screen design, psychological and physiological effects, and colour reproduction.

Outlined below are guidelines.

• Colour should be considered in relation to medium, function and market.
• The fact that it is easier to change colour than to redesign, should be considered.
• The Light source should be considered; metamerism (the distortion of colour by different types of light) is a serious problem for some industries.
• Maintain legibility, maintain a high contrast between foreground and background.
• Use few colours. The more you use the longer the user takes to respond to each and causes greater confusion.
• Use bright conspicuous colours for those items needing extra attention.
• Use colour where its meaning is clear to the user.
• Compensate for colour blindness, avoid using red and green together.

Colour is an issue that is very abstract upon which no definitive solution can be placed upon it.