When on the app store looking at apps relating to health I found two common themes when it came to colour, apps either fell into a colour scheme of bold colours covering a range of tones, or they fall into the category of using one colour throughout as the main focus, to add differentiation they use different tones of that colour.
The bold colours set a playful and positive tone within the app, they are often paired alongside illustrations or imagery and these apps have a lot less of a 'serious' aesthetic with them. This approach could be good for my healthcare app for staff, to alleviate the stress of working in a pressure environment and to add positivity to their day to day working life. Due to the seriousness of this job role and the impact it has on people's lives, I will need to be careful that bright colours do not disrupt the focus of the product and slow the users navigation throughout.
The more neutral colours which are based off one single contrast colour are also a valid option, setting a more serious and paired back option which could fit in better with the user. This approach would allow users to stay on task easily, avoiding distraction and ensuring the staff member spends minimal time on data entry. Colours can be good for contrast between areas of an interface but that can still be accomplished by using tones of the same colour. A more serious approach may suit the user better on this occasion, and will be a new process for me to use less colour in a product but maintain the contrast and differentiation.
Apps in both colour groups use icons to ease navigation and allow the user to easily recognise areas, this is something I can look at to include in my product to enable users to save as much time as possible in their job as well as when using my product. There is also research into colours providing different emotions in people. From this I understand blue to be the best option for my project due to the meanings including key aspects of the heath care system and aspects I want to reinforce in my brand - security, trust, cleanliness and confidence.
Next post:
Week 4 - Lecture - Sketching Interfaces
Main Project page: