Colour & Interior Design
Colour & Interior Design:
Using Virtual Reality Technology to Study the Effects of Scale
Marianne Patera, Glasgow School of Art, Digital Design Studio, U.K., m.patera@gsa.ac.uk
Steve W. Draper, University of Glasgow, Department of Psychology, U.K., s.draper@psy.gla.ac.uk
Abstract: This paper presents an educational intervention, involving 20 interior design students selecting a colour scheme for a 3D computer model of an interior, and then experiencing its effect in a semi-immersive Virtual Reality (VR) environment. Participants also experienced some other learners ' designs and discussed their similar and/or contrasting experiences. The main aim of this learning activity was to raise awareness that colour can be subjective and that perceptions of how colour may influence mood or emotion in this area may vary greatly. General educational principles of particular importance for this topic are constructivism in the sense of getting learners to link the topic to their own personal experience and perceptions, and peer discussion to demonstrate how much variation in experience there is between people.
Introduction
Unlike teaching the colours of the spectrum or how these can be mapped on to a three-dimensional shape (cf.
Otto Runge’s sphere, Munsell’s tree) (Patera & Draper, 2005), the effects of colour in interior spaces are not a matter for prediction and consensus. The main learning objective of this educational activity was not to teach facts but to raise awareness that opinions in this area commonly differ. People have personal experiences or inherent beliefs that certain colours can evoke specific emotions - some of these links are also associated with culture, current trends and fashion. However, the perception of colour depends greatly upon various parameters hence there is no simple and fixed set of such links. Often these beliefs can be persistent and therefore have a subliminal impact on the student’s design decisions.
Therefore one of the
Using Virtual Reality Technology to Study the Effects of Scale
Marianne Patera, Glasgow School of Art, Digital Design Studio, U.K., m.patera@gsa.ac.uk
Steve W. Draper, University of Glasgow, Department of Psychology, U.K., s.draper@psy.gla.ac.uk
Abstract: This paper presents an educational intervention, involving 20 interior design students selecting a colour scheme for a 3D computer model of an interior, and then experiencing its effect in a semi-immersive Virtual Reality (VR) environment. Participants also experienced some other learners ' designs and discussed their similar and/or contrasting experiences. The main aim of this learning activity was to raise awareness that colour can be subjective and that perceptions of how colour may influence mood or emotion in this area may vary greatly. General educational principles of particular importance for this topic are constructivism in the sense of getting learners to link the topic to their own personal experience and perceptions, and peer discussion to demonstrate how much variation in experience there is between people.
Introduction
Unlike teaching the colours of the spectrum or how these can be mapped on to a three-dimensional shape (cf.
Otto Runge’s sphere, Munsell’s tree) (Patera & Draper, 2005), the effects of colour in interior spaces are not a matter for prediction and consensus. The main learning objective of this educational activity was not to teach facts but to raise awareness that opinions in this area commonly differ. People have personal experiences or inherent beliefs that certain colours can evoke specific emotions - some of these links are also associated with culture, current trends and fashion. However, the perception of colour depends greatly upon various parameters hence there is no simple and fixed set of such links. Often these beliefs can be persistent and therefore have a subliminal impact on the student’s design decisions.
Therefore one of the
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