Importance of Colour in New App Design

Did you know that the choice of colors may decide the success of a Mobile Application?

Human minds are very responsive to colors. Everything that we see around us has a specific colour and our brain behaviour is accustomed to associate with the colors all around us, both men made and natural. We can say that the colour of an object has a psychological impact on our minds. When it comes to modern-day mobile phone Applications/ Apps, it's no different. Years of trend analysis and case studies of successful mobile apps have shown that the colour theme had played a vital role in its appeal and popularity. The reason why mobile App companies are so selective and cautious about choosing the right colour scheme or App Colours is, to enhance its aesthetic appeal, create an impression in the minds of a user, entice curiosity & express its nature and utility.  

The success of an app depends on its user experience, which involves, Its appearance & colour scheme (App Colours ), easy downloading procedure, lightweight (occupy less memory space), easy, utility & easy manoeuvring abilities. What first attracts is the look and feel of the application and its simple yet distinct design. The app developers have to be very precise about the use of colors from the colour palette, have to be extremely careful, not to deviate from the theme applicable and the appropriate colour that matches the theme. The developers also have to keep in mind the utility of the App being developed, its nature of utility shall decide which App colour theme is applicable. The developers should also know which gender/sex will be subscribing to the application the most (men/women). We all know very well that men and women have a different perspective in terms of colour preferences. Hence if the App is meant to attract more ladies, the App colour theme can hover around more feminine colors & if the App is meant to attract more male audiences, it would be using more macho & manly colors. 

However, the general trend analysis and various studies have revealed that a majority of the successful Mobile phone Application would like to keep it simple yet appealing. The range of colors used by a vast majority of App hovers around the few primary colour options: Red, Blue, Black, and Yellow & Green.

Some of the prominent examples of few successful apps and their choice of colour are:

Facebook - Blue

Instagram – Orange & Yellow

WhatsApp – Green

Skype – Deep Blue

YouTube – Red

Uber – Black

Netflix – Red & Black

Twitter – Sky blue  

For example, if an experienced designer is developing a Social media App, they will tend to use a more bright and vivid colour theme. On the contrary, if the App is about wellness, lifestyle, and fitness, travel, the App colors used will be different, and it will be more subtle, soothing, and natural. If the App represents luxury items & consumer goods and services, it might use a gold / black theme to give it a premium feel. If the App is meant for education and schools, the App colour and theme will be more appealing to children's minds. If the app is meant for medicine or hospitals or anything about medical science, the colour theme will be white or blue. Red is a common colour used in App colors for Food & beverage Apps. An intelligent designer would know exactly where and how to use the right colors so that the user has a clear understanding of the actual utility/purpose of the application.

Years of research have shown a pattern of consumer behaviour that establishes the fact that about 92.6% of App users decide their subscription / purchase by the visual appearance of the App. A vast majority, (almost two-third) of the mobile App consumers may not decide to proceed with the purchases if the App does not suit their favourable colour preferences.

The survey also revealed several interesting facts about the association of colors and consumer decision making

Blue – 28% believe that it resembles trust and a sense of security

And 43% believe that it resembles reliability

Red – 76% believe that it resembles Speed

Yellow & Orange – 26% believe that it resembles Affordability, Fun, and entertainment

Black – 43% believe that it resembles luxury and premium, high end.

Black, Blue & Grey - 26%, 23 % and 26% respectively

Green – It resembles Nature & health

The experienced designers use these behavioural trends of the consumers to decide on the perfect colour scheme used while developing a Mobile Application. We have to accept and be aware of the fact that the consumers out there, Love Colour, connect with Colours, Their perceptions and decision making are to a great extent ruled by their choice, it the colors that differentiate between a quality mobile App and an average one.

Among various theories of consumer behaviour and taking into consideration years of experience in the successful development of Mobile Apps, it has been noticed that the Apps using very few & simple colour palette are the most popular. For example Monochromatic colour theme. It is a kind of colour scheme where the primary focus is on a single colour and then uses its various variants, lighter tones, and shades.

Over a long period, the App designers and developers have been referring to the colour wheel that works as a visual templet. This helps the designers to identify the colors that need to be included in the new App.

The Colour Wheel helps understand the colour scheme much better. While using a Monochromatic colour scheme, the colour wheel helps to select from the various shades of a single colour. Apart from the trendy Monochromatic theme, there are many instances where a multi-colour scheme is preferred by the users and the clients.

Here we have another example of Colour wheels that helps to select various combinations of the colour scheme. Depending on the nature of the App, the Multi-colour theme works great and carries great aesthetic value.

Read also about NopCommerce Development Services 

However, the bottom line remains the utility and efficiency of the Application, the purpose of the app, and its capacity to fulfil the expectations of the consumer. It should do its job what it is meant to for, to avoid uninstallation.