Rant: I always thought bright colors were best for kids' stuff

I was working on a mobile app for a kindergarten and picked super bright primaries. Then I found a study from a design school in Boston that said kids actually focus better with softer, muted palettes. They tested two groups of 5-year-olds and the ones using the softer interface completed puzzles 20% faster. I looked it up and it's true, high saturation can be overstimulating. Now I'm redoing the whole color scheme with pastels and earth tones. Has anyone else had to switch gears like this after seeing real data?

3 comments

3 Comments

uma_webb2828d ago

Pastels are way easier on their little eyes for sure.

shane_anderson28d ago

Yeah the "little eyes" part is so true. I remember when my sister had her baby and everything in the nursery was bright primary colors. The kid would just squint and fuss all the time. They switched to softer stuff and it was like a whole different baby, way more calm. Makes total sense that harsh colors would be overwhelming for them.

phoenix8458d ago

Ever wonder why baby stores sell all that neon stuff if it just makes them fussy? My mom says my first room was bright yellow and I cried so much she painted it beige after a week. Guess I've been sensitive to bad decor from the start. What colors did your parents use for you?