Color appearance phenomena

Successive contrast

An illusion where the appearance of a color is affected by previously viewed colors.

Successive contrast is a result of the afterimage effect from chromatic adaptation.

 Stare at the central cross of either the red or blue color, then toggle the color. The resulting orange dots will momentarily appear to be different colors.

How it affects UI design

Component state changes or interactions that have large changes to color can create undesirable results from successive contrast. In extreme cases, this could result in legibility issues.

Experiences that produce dramatic effects from successive contrast can be detrimental to some people, and could cause migraines or other symptoms.

People with color vision deficiencies may not experience the same effects from successive contrast.

Sources:

  1. Thomas Norton, David Corliss, James Bailey (2020). The Psychophysical Measurement of Visual Function. 1st edition. Butterworth-Heinemann. Pages 261, 286
  2. Contrast effect. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrast_effect