Color Psychology For Mobile Apps

Did you know Mark Zuckerberg is red-green colorblind? Therefore, “blue” is the best color that Zuckerberg can see. Actually, in our daily life and of course in marketing, similar logic works. We all recognize colors that manifest itself to us, and we feel and think something when we recognize them.

Colors attract the attention of users and increase brand recognition, memory and participation.  They affect our way of thinking and behavior. Positioning and using them correctly is vitally important. Colors’ effects on the marketing & brands side is proven, presenting to us some basic but important truths related to our perception and buying decisions. Here you can find information about general sense color theory and use them in content marketing and here you can find how to choose your brand’s colors as well. However, mobile applications have very different dynamics in contrast with other brands. Then, colors also have to be evaluated a bit different.

Correspondingly, we have to consider the effects of colors on users for developing customer-oriented mobile application. When examining ASO (App Store Optimization) side, which is a process for improving apps ranks and discoverability, we can easily recognize customer-oriented viewpoints. Accordingly, it is necessary to mention color psychology for mobile application issues within the scope of ASO.

Why Are Colors Important For Mobile Apps?

User-friendly interface is not “everything” behind mobile application design. Color is an important dimension of the overall design and App Store Optimization. For instance, the first thing that your users face and get an impression of is your app icon. Better app icon design means better screenshots, and your screenshots play a huge role with some other dimensions like title and description, as to whether it will be downloaded or not.

Surely, there are some main rules for app icon design. You can check the best practices out for IOS and Android. But, for now, our point is color psychology for mobile apps rather than these best practices for overall app icon design.

According to Kissmetrics research;

• 92.6% of people say the visual dimension is the 1st influencing factor affecting their purchase decision rather than taste, smell, etc.
• Two out of three consumers won’t buy a large appliance unless it comes in their preferred color.

In another study called, Impact of Color in Marketing, researchers found that up to 90% of judgments about products are based solely on colors. In a survey, people were asked to choose the color they associated with particular words.

Here you can find some emotions and color ratios corresponding to those emotions:

• Trust: Most chose the color blue (34%), followed by white (21%) and green (11%)
• Security: Blue came out on top (28%), followed by black (16%) and green (12%)
• Speed: Red was overwhelmingly the favorite (76%)
• Cheapness: Orange came first (26%), followed by yellow (22%) and brown (13%)
• High Quality: Black was the clear winner (43%), then blue (20%)
• High Tech: This was almost evenly split, with black the top choice (26%) and blue and gray second (both 23%)
• Reliability: Blue was the top choice (43%), followed by black (24%)
• Courage: Most chose purple (29%), then red (28%), and finally blue (22%)
• Fear/Terror: Red came in first (41%) followed by black (38%)
• Fun: Orange was the top choice (28%), followed closely by yellow (26%) and then purple (17%)

When it comes to reliability and trust, “Blue“ is the best choice. Accordingly, the apps that people have to give their private information to use it like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Skype are blue-colored; it is not a coincidence! Google+ must have chosen “Red” to emphasize its speed. How’s that sound? When Snapchat choose “Yellow” for mobile app icon, it wants to bring youthful image into the forefront. We can multiply this kind of examples.

When you decide to take advantage of colors for your mobile app, you should not skip the process, as colors may have different meanings in different cultures.

For different genders as well! 🙂

If you are building an mobile app that mainly targets women, here is the best advice for you, by Kissmetrics:

• Women love: Blue, Purple and Green
• Women hate: Orange, Brown and Gray
• Men love: Blue, Green and Black
• Men hate: Brown, Orange and Purple

To make them efficient, mobile apps rely on all parts of the plan procedure. A comparable rule has to be remembered when branding. In perspective of your big picture, something as fundamental as a blue shade can have a significant impact.

To make a long story short, as is the case with other brands and marketing activities, colors are really important for your mobile app. You can create and design powerful apps with correct colors, and make it discoverable and preferable. Do not forget that results cannot be generalized every time, but you can find your mobile app colors by testing it.

Waiting for your comments.