Color Preferences for Private and Semi-private Areas in Hotels

Abstract

Soft ergonomics comprises emotional needs and other qualitative features which affect the relationship of the user to the product. In Interior Design, subjective aspects such as color preference can influence user experiences. The objective of the present study was to assess the effect of color in the choice of the interior design on private and semi-private areas of hotel areas displayed by renders and to establish whether there is a relationship between color preference and gender. This study included 197 volunteers. The experimental stimuli (nine chromatic and three achromatic) were applied to three different hotel places; all of these stimuli were presented on a computer screen, one at a time in random order. A continuous scale ranging from 0 (null liking) to 100 (absolute liking) indicated to what degree the viewer liked the image. As a whole, for all the hotel spaces, a higher preference was found for achromatic colors, especially white (74.0); even gray (57.8) surpassed the most preferred chromatic color, which was royal blue, with a score of (56.5). Some significant sex differences were distinguished in the results. These findings emphasize the importance of gaining information about color preferences in the discipline of Interior Design with the aim to satisfy users' expectations and to improve their experience.