Color can have a tremendous impact on the look and overall feel of your mobile app’s design. But beyond this, mobile app color schemes can affect the usability of your app, so it’s important to take time to carefully consider UI/UX, color palette and your goal for the app’s overall personality.
The color scheme for your mobile app must be very carefully considered as part of your brand strategy if you’re planning to market your app. Think of how significantly color affects your perception of a brand. Tiffany & Co even trademarked their minty green hue because it is such an important aspect of their brand identity. Imagine how your perception of the Tiffany & Co. brand would change if they used a shade of vivid orange instead of pale green — this would completely change the brand’s personality.
But when choosing a color scheme for a mobile app, you’ll need to think about more than just brand; you’ll also need to think of usability and how your colors can be used throughout the user interface (UI). So as you’re considering your options, take some time to consider these important points.
Do the Colors Represent Your Brand Personality?
Color is inextricably linked to emotion and our perceptions, so you want to be sure that you’re sending the right message with the mobile app color palette that you choose. For instance, if your brand is all about luxury, elegance and sophistication, you might select a single bold hue that makes a statement, paired with more understated colors such as black, white and gold. If your brand is targeting children, then bright primary colors and even pastels can be a good choice. Brands designed to appeal to corporate leaders typically use more muted shades of blue, green or red, paired with black and white or neutral colors.
Mobile app color choices should always align with your brand color scheme, but if you’re building a new brand for the app, then it’s all up for debate. Color psychology is a very real concept, so it’s wise to read up on the colors that you’re considering for your mobile app. Take some time to learn about the common associations for your preferred color. If you’re uncertain, a marketing firm can conduct a few focus group sessions to gather feedback about your color choices.
Have You Chosen Colors That Work Well as Part of a UI/UX Color Palette?
Mobile app color palettes must have a variety of colors in differing brightness and intensity. A handful of color swatches may look nice together, but they may not necessarily work well as a mobile app color scheme. Let’s look at how different colors may be used in a five-color palette:
This is just one example of how developers may use a UI color palette. There are actually many different strategies for color selection and you can choose from numerous types of color palettes.
Whatever hues you choose, you’ll need to be sure that this selection will work for the app design. If you’re uncertain about your choices, consult with your developer to ensure that your color palette is workable from a design perspective.
Is Your Mobile App Color Scheme Appealing to Your Target Audience?
You’ll also need to think of how well your chosen app color scheme will work for your target audience. This point is certainly tied into brand identity, as certain colors are likely to appeal to different audiences. But beyond this, you’ll also want to think practically.
If you’re targeting a 65+ demographic, then you’ll want to pay special attention to text and background colors so you can ensure that everything is easy to read. Also, think of how people typically perceive different color schemes and make sure your chosen palette aligns with these conceptions. For instance, if you’re developing an app for a funeral home, then a bright and vibrant pastel color scheme would come off as a rather strange choice. Conversely, a private day care company would be well-served by lively, bold colors, as a more neutral color palette would seem a bit out of place.
It’s also important to consider how accessible your mobile app will be to visually-impaired users. High-contrast color differentials between the text and the background colors are essential for easy reading. But beyond this, it may be wise to consider how color-blind users may view your app. There are several forms of color blindness, so it’s wise to research this topic and evaluate your color choices. An individual with color blindness may perceive two very different colors as being identical, which could cause text to blend in with the background. Additionally, two differently-colored buttons may appear very similar in color, resulting in a loss of impact.
Companies and organizations serving the general public could even be faced with a lawsuit if their app isn’t easily usable by disabled individuals. This was the case for Domino’s pizza chain when a blind user filed a lawsuit against Domino’s because he was unable to order a pizza on their website or mobile app, despite the fact that he was using screen-reading software. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in the man’s favor, prompting companies across the nation to re-evaluate their mobile apps and websites. So individuals who are building new mobile apps would be wise to integrate features that make the platform accessible to all users.
Picking Winning UI/UX Color Palettes for Mobile Apps
Choosing a color palette is an important part of the app development process and it’s one area where your development team can be quite helpful. Virtually all mobile app development companies have experienced UI/UX designers who can offer advice and feedback on your color selection.
At 7T, we have extensive experience in the realm of mobile app development, along with custom software development, systems integration and data governance, from creating data lakes and data governance plans, to establishing data visualization tools that allow users to understand data like never before.
7T has clients in Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Austin and beyond. We provide a complete suite of high-tech service offerings, including ERP and CRM development and cloud integrations. So if you’re in search of an innovative team to guide your business as you work to make the most of your data, contact the team at 7T today.
