Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!malgudi!caen!uwm.edu!ogicse!qiclab!techbook!tsouth
From: tsouth@techbook.com (Todd South)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: 1 request for a tool change
Summary: Let's here it for the color challenged!
Message-ID: <1991May17.053358.15080@techbook.com>
Date: 17 May 91 05:33:58 GMT
References: <52608@apple.Apple.COM> <3574@kluge.fiu.edu> <52939@apple.Apple.COM>
Organization: TECHbooks of Beaverton Oregon - Public Access Unix
Lines: 52

In article <52939@apple.Apple.COM> mattd@Apple.COM (Matt Deatherage) writes:
>
>However,the "inverse" scroll bars you talk about represent a real danger which
>we already see with some IIgs programs - windows, menus and controls that look
>like they were designed by someone fascinated with a new box of crayons.  It's
>true that the original HI guidelines were all black and white because that's
>all the Macintosh had, but the research on color since then has shown us
>several things:
>
>1)  A significant percentage of people are color blind, so colors should
>    _never_ be used solely to distinguish between options.

Hey Andy, do you think we should come out of the closet on this and tell them
which of us Matt is talking about? :)

>2)  Many people don't like some colors, so leaving things black and white and
>    letting users color them how they like is the optimal solution.

Here, here!  I really get tired of some of the programs that are done in the
off grayish-brown colors.  That Elavator game that was on the binaries a while
back was invisible.  I can just imagine someone asking me to distinguish
controls which I can't see.  Also, for some god-awful reason I've noticed
that some GS users like having their screens in pschodelic orange and green
combinations.  Stuff like that hurts the eyes after a while. (see below on 3)

>3)  Brightly-colored windows and icons (unless colored by the user) are often
>    distracting and interfere with productive work.  You'll notice that all of
>    the new color icons in System 7.0 use very subdued colors (grays, browns,
>    some blues, purples).  I've seen GS desktops full of brightly-colored
>    icons and they always make me feel like I'm looking at a coloring book.
>
>So, in general, leave your windows and controls standard colors or provide an
>option to let people color them however they like.  Forcing your preferences
>on them is worse than leaving them the neutral colors they get by default.
>-- 
>============================================================================
>Matt Deatherage, Developer Technical  | The opinions expressed herein are
>Support, Apple Computer, Inc.         | not those of Apple Computer, and
>Personal mail only, please.  Thanks.  | shame on you for thinking otherwise.
>============================================================================

Trust me, Matt is NOT wrong on this.  Fully 1 out of 4 men in America
are color deficient.  When you _commercially_ produce a program that
people cannot play/use then you are cutting your own purse strings.

Todd (!Whitesel) South

-- 
--
tsouth@techbook.COM  ...!{tektronix!nosun,uunet}techbook!tsouth
Public Access UNIX at (503) 644-8135 (1200/2400) Voice: +1 503 646-8257
Public Access User --- Not affiliated with TECHbooks