Date of Award
5-2007
Document Type
Independent Study
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Abstract
This is a study about the relationship between color choice and operating system user interface (OSUI) design. The research was used to study the role color had in the understandability, usability, and student perceptions of the OSUI. Qualitative research was performed in a classroom of an entry-level Web Page Design course. Data collection occurred through the use of surveys, interviews, and classroom observations. Literature on research strategies, color preference, color perception, graphic design, and OSUI design provided the literature review background and validity for the study.
An OSUI is defined as the characteristics of a computer operating system which can be seen by the human user. The OSUI is how the user and software communicate by the use of commands and other input output devices to control the software's operation. Since the early 1990s, OSU is, such as Windows and Macintosh OS, have been a utilitarian gray. This gray had become the standard that companies selected, although in recent years there was a shift in colors schemes to include blue and green.
The themes of the research were discovered through data analysis of surveys, interviews, and classroom observations. The general categories that emerged during this study include background information, software knowledge and experience, graphic design knowledge and experience, and color preference. The data was classified and coded, then analyzed for themes.
The outcome of this study established that students' perceptions of color in OSU is were effected by their personal preferences and the OSUI industry's color choices. Personal preference or distain for a color was found to skew the students' view of the color.The students' familiarity of a color being used for an OSUI effected the perceptions of how effective the color was.
Recommended Citation
Kruckenberg, Jana, "The power of color: A study about the influences of color on the design of software user interfaces" (2007). Theses and Dissertations. 6487.
https://commons.und.edu/theses/6487
