UUUG - Color/Interface Design

Color is such a routine part of our world we often take it for granted.
This talk will be an attempt to correct that, to show that color is worth considering; because color is fascinating, potent, and demanding, with links to human culture, psychophysics, and interface design.

We cannot hope to deeply cover such a complex topic in one evening, but we will survey the science of color perception, the many roles of color, and the implications of what we learn for designing better user interfaces.

The color purple will be a recurring theme, partly for whimsy, but also because of its surprising manifestations and implications. For example, we will learn that purple is purely imaginary; it has no physical existence. Yet at one time in the Roman empire wearing purple could be punishable by death.

If you like, please bring a purple item to the meeting.

About the speaker: Ken Shoemake is especially known for introducing quaternions to 3D computer graphics, and for his Arcball user interface. His education and career include Yale, Stanford, the University of Pennsylvania, Link Flight Simulation, PDI (now Dreamworks), and Xerox PARC (birthplace of the graphical user interface). Ken is currently an independent consultant.

About UUUG: The TechMaine Usability / User Experience User Group meets monthly, on the last Tuesday of the month. Meetings are held at the TechMaine Technology Center, and start at 6:00 p.m. No charge; open to the public. Free parking in the parking lot behind the building, or on-street parking. (See driving directions.)

Door Prize: Each month registered attendees are entered in a door prize drawing, usually a new book on a current information security topic. Please Visit the UUUG page for details on this month's door prize.

FMI: Please Visit the UUUG page or contact us.

Please register to attend so that we can notify you if there is a change in schedule.