Color as a Trigger: the Effect of Chromatic Characteristics of Touch Buttons on the Motivation

Abstract

The object of the study is modern smartphone users, the subject is the influence of chromatic characteristics of touch buttons on the motivation. The purpose of the study was to experimentally test the hypothesis that various chromatic characteristics of buttons that a person sees on a touch screen (their brightness, tone, saturation) can act as visual triggers and have a noticeable effect on the motivation to touch them. The experiment involved 48 people with normal color vision (24 men and 24 women) aged 19 to 21 years. The color stimuli of the experiment were developed on the basis of the PCCS color system (Practical Color Coordinate System) and included 52 shades. The analysis evaluated the frequency of occurrence of (1) individual colors; (2) groups of colors; (3) colors of a certain tone; (4) the probability of choosing a certain color out of two. The frequency of occurrence was assessed using procedures and methods of visual statistics. To estimate the probability of choosing a certain shade from two, the method of associative rules was used. The analysis showed that the most motivating are the shades with high saturation of four tones – bright blue and yellow, green and red colors. Women are more motivated by red and red-purple shades, men – by yellow, orange, green and green-blue. At the same time, the strategy of choosing one shade out of two in a pair is more predictable for women than for men. The obtained data have a wide application potential. They can be used in the design of websites, web applications, interactive educational materials, as well as training programs for users with different socio-demographic characteristics.