Menu
With screen types aside (backlit LCD, OLED, matte, glossy, etc...), what color scheme provides the most readability in direct sunlight?
I have not been able to find much on this in a day of Googling. The Kindle uses black on grey. I've seen light grey used on black for some mobile apps claiming good sunlight readability. With how prolific mobile apps are, I am surprised that there is not more on this subject within easy searching distance.
I went so far as to make a bunch of test swatches in paint and go outside and flip through them. It is mostly cloudy outside today so it wasn't direct sunlight but, from that quick subjective test Black on White was the best with White on Black, Black on Yellow and Black on Light Grey still pretty readable.
247
Their general findings were: 1) Black and white were consistently rated as the most readable; 2) Color combinations that included black were rated more readable than those that did not; and 3) Darker text on lighter backgrounds were rated higher than lighter text on darker backgrounds.
Taking onto account the sensitivity to light in human vision in combination with contrast, black on yellow produces the highest visual contrast.
Light backgrounds White backgrounds: Simple and classic, black text on a white background provides the highest readability ratio. Blues and grays also provide the right contrast and thus work well on white backgrounds.
yellow is the most visible colour in daylight.
As per this thread from 2004 on slashdot.org, high contrast is the way to go. Some of the commenters also note that the human eye is more sensitive to greens and yellows.
I went into paint and made a bunch of test images. The images were just a solid color background with solid text of another color in various font sizes. I took an HP Slate with the images outside and flipped through them. It was mostly cloudy yesterday but still quite a bit brighter than inside.
Anything with a blue background around the shade of the sky was the worst of the bunch (not really a surprise there).
As AudioDroid commented, white backgrounds will do their part to drain battery life. Pure black (#000000) backgrounds are typically not liked by a majority of consumers. However, dark colors with white or almost-white greens and yellows are almost as good and give you a little bit more color to play with.
It is also worth noting that the HP Slate 500 has a VERY reflective screen, its almost like looking at a mirror and dark backgrounds make this more apparent. A matte finish would have helped quite a bit, just something else to keep in mind.
153
If you love us? You can donate to us via Paypal or buy me a coffee so we can maintain and grow! Thank you!
Donate Us With
