Color combinations of visual display terminal (VDT) icon on user preferences and EEG response

This study explored the effects of color combinations and polarity on user preferences and EEG responses using an icon design for a visual display terminal. 72 college students (M=24.5 yr., SD=2.3 yr.) were tested. The seven color combinations of top 16% with rating scores (5-point scale) over 3.60 almost always included black or white as a target or background, including white-on-black, red-on-black, yellow-on-black, blue-on-white, and black-on-white; the other two preferred color combinations were yellow-on-blue and blue-on-yellow. The eight color combinations of the bottom 16% with rating scores under 2.38 almost always included green, turquoise, or purple as a target or background. Negative image polarity (higher luminance color image shown on a lower luminance color background) was preferred over positive image polarity (lower luminance color image shown on a higher luminance color background) by the subjects. The theta and alpha band power in the right hemisphere were greater than those in the left hemisphere during the experiment. There seemed to be no linear correlation between the rating scores of subjective preferences and brain wave power of theta and alpha bands, so the possibility of using brain wave power to measure subjective preference is questionable.