CULTURE FRIENDLY DESIGN COLORS FOR EDUCATIONAL WEBSITES

摘要

Culturally sensitive visual design for learning and training software applications contributes to acceptance of learning materials by learners and users. In order to identify cultural preferences in visual interface design, we conducted a study focused on identification of culture-specific interface design elements for a number of countries. As a part of this research, a study on color usage preferences in different cultures resulted in generation of research tools for color analysis and in a unique knowledgebase of color preferences for web design in more than twenty countries around the globe. To identify the feasibility of using our color analysis tools to evaluate usage of colors in interface design for a particular domain area (e.g. educational websites) we conducted a case study on color usage on college and university websites in Japan and Brazil. The paper reports on results of the color usage case study and discusses advantages of utilizing automated color analysis tools for research and development of culturally sensitive user interfaces.