Lesson #46 How Colors Affect Website Usability!
Written By Cyndalie

Colors can have both a direct and indirect impact on your visitor's response to your web site (usability) and how effective your branding efforts (including marketing and design) work. It is important to understand what colors mean in order to create specific look and feel that will reinforce the product being sold as well as reinforce the atmosphere in which the selling is being done. A real world example would be if you had a choice between patronizing 2 different grocery stores – one which has brown walls and orange floors versus the other which has white walls and green floors. Odds are, you would feel most the comfortable buying food in a store that has a light, natural, airy feeling environment and avoid the dingy, cave-like feeling store. Colors can affect feelings, incite physical responses consciously or unconsciously, as well as affect sense of smell, emphasize social or cultural feelings, and even solicit generalized responses of favoritism from customers for no reason other than preference.

By using real world examples and comparing them in an online environment, we can generally define how colors will influence your web site's overall effectiveness when it comes to branding and conversion rates, as well as reinforcing niche site design and community based environments. First let's talk about color types, most frequently described in temperature:

Cool Colors (calming): Blue, Green, Turquoise, Silver
Warm Colors (exciting): Red, Pink, Yellow, Gold, Orange
Mixed Cool/Warm Colors: Purple, Lavender, Green, Turquoise
Neutral Colors (unifying): Brown, Beige, Ivory, Gray, Black, White

Colors are described in temperate for a number of reasons. They can relate a sense of urgency or relaxation, the easiest example here is the national security five color scale used in the United States.T hey can relate a sense of environment; take a look at weather or physical maps. They can also equate to a sense of professionalism; blue collar workers versus white color workers, or uniforms such as the “UPS Man”. Colors can also help you target customers by using seasonal or cultural colors such as blue and white, or red and green. Above all these factors, branding and environment most highly relate to web sites.

By understanding what colors most commonly mean you can devise a formula for your website design and brand which can have a direct impact on conversion rates and user retention. Here is a generalized scale of what each color conveys to users. For more in depth information, please visit Color Symbolism at About.com

Blue: (Water & Sky) Cool apects of nature - promotes Serenity; Peace, Authority, Corporate Color, Unity, Stability, Confidence, Boy/Male, Physically Calming/Contemplative, Depressing

Turquoise: Refreshing and Sophisticated; Water, Retro, Feminine

Green: Warmth in Nature, Life and Renewal; Growth & Harmony, Military, Money, Health, Jealousy, Environment, Physically Relaxing

Silver: Metallic Riches; Aging, Elegance, Natural

Red: Love and War; Hot/Warm, Excitement, Vitality & Passion, Anger, Emergency, Danger, Happiness, Dominating, Attention, Physical Excitement/Anxiety

Pink: Soft & Girlie; Love, Femininity, Physically Weakening/Tranquilizing

Yellow: (Truth) Stimulates Creativity and Learning, Hope and Happiness; Warm, Cheerful, Caution, Mourning, Courage, Attention, Spirituality, Physically Uplifting

Orange: Flamboyant and Energetic; Seasonal/Fall/Halloween, Appetite stimulant, Energy, Warmth, Friendly, Contentment

Gold: (Fire) Increases sense of Compassion and Enlightment, Riches and Excess; Prosperity, Nobility, Wealth, Status

Purple: Stimulates Creativity, Self-Respect and Enhances Mediation, Royalty and Spirituality; Religious, Romantic, Authority, Courage

Black: Ultimate Dark; Mourning, Death, Elegance, Mystery, Authority, Power, Wisdom, Physically Empowering

Gray: Elegant Neutral; Metal, Weather/Storms, Strength

White: Ultimate Light; Purity, Goodness, Innocence, Weddings/Funerals, Sterility, Refreshing

Brown: Down-to-Earth; Dependability, Wholesomeness, Earthy/Wood, Maturity, Strength

Many studies have been performed on what colors mean but I guarantee you none have been done on what colors and porn niches best define one another. On your own try to devise generalized color formulas which may help your sites reinforce the atmosphere and content being promoted by niche. Here are a few examples:

Fetish/BDSM Sites: A black background set's the stage for Authority and Power play. Secondary colors such as Red can incite physical reaction including increased heart rate and blood pressure. Another secondary color such as Yellow can help to reinforce the attention grabbing red, but adding some small amounts of Blue can add that bit of a submissive role, not only as a color, but as an impression that the site will appeal to both sides of the BDSM power play.

18-19 Themed Sites: A White background can create the environment of purity and innocence often associated with young fresh faces. Adding pastel versions of colors will help keep the “soft” feel the site is insinuating such as the soft feel of their smooth girly (Pink) skin. Light Blues and Greens give the girls a “natural” air. The stage is now set for an innocent romp with soft sweet girls who are pure as snow.

It is important to note that regardless of the atmosphere you are trying to convey or the brand colors you wish to promote, that you select colors based on balance. It has been proven in studies that web site users are more likely to stay longer, buy from, and return to sites that have balanced colors. Balanced colors means that the 2-3 color based design or format each compliment one another on the color wheel or scale (Example 1, Example 2). You can see this demonstrated by clicking on the link for Example 1. The color compliment in a 2 color balance is the opposing color on the wheel: The opposite of Red would be Green. In a 3 color balance, Red would do best when paired with Blue and Yellow. Understanding basic color theory is the cornerstone to any artist's palette, and when combined with the direct effects or reactions you wish to induce from a marketing standpoint you can devise a unique blend of color balance solutions that will increase the usability of your web site as well as strengthen your branding efforts for return business where the user remembers more than just the URL of your website – they remember the experience of being there.