Medical and Dental Websites Taste Better in Orange Cups

Ever wondered what a website would taste like? Maybe that’s just something we do seeing as how we eat, sleep and breathe all things internet. But, the question of consumption online is an interesting and multi-layered concern that users confront every time they click-through to your site.

How does color affect your current patients’ experience with your site? Does it impact potential patients differently? Does the appearance of text on the page really affect how users read and absorb the content? These are all questions our designers are extremely experienced at answering, which is why we were way ahead of the curve uncovered by a recent study: regardless of how our site tastes, you like it more because it’s rocking the Rosemont Orange.

Consumers’ Perception Influenced by Color, Study Says

A recent study on the influence of colors “has demonstrated that the physical attributes of the containers from which we eat and drink can influence our perception of various foods and beverages and the overall consumption experience.” [1]

The important thing to take away from this study is the appearance of your site matters. Our rigorous consultation process emphasizes how important 100% custom design really is.

The Container Matters

As part of the study, the authors have outlined practical applications of the findings: “these results are relevant to sensory scientists interested in how the brain integrates visual input (such as color), not only from the food itself, but also from the container…”

Translation: the color of everything on your site influences the overall experience and consumption of your virtual practice, and in turn influences each separate component. You could have the most spectacular color scheme selected, but if the contrast between the color of your content and the background of your site freaks users out, they won’t stick around long enough to get to reach your call to action.

The Content Matters

While the importance of content on your site is something we could spend weeks writing about, the study brings up an important angle to consider: the appearance of content on your pages plays a role in how your users experience your site. When a new user comes to your site, it’s a fresh and eye-opening experience, everything is new and shiny. But what happens on repeat visits?

The impact colors have on your site’s visitors may not differ greatly when comparing repeat users and new ones; however, the appearance and freshness of content does. Just as users develop ad blindness to the various ways marketers advertise on Google/Facebook et al, the same is true of content on your site.

More from practical applications in the study: “these results should hopefully help stimulate chefs, restaurateurs… to think more carefully about the color [appearance] of their plateware/packaging, and its potential effects on their customers’ perception of the taste/flavor of the products they [serve/deliver].”

So take a look at your site and ask yourself: How does my content stand up to repeat views? It may be time to think about the experience your visitors have, and the lingering taste this interaction leaves.

[1] “The Influence of the Color of the Cup on Consumers’ Perception of a Hot Beverage” retrieved on 1/8/13 from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1745-459X.2012.00397.x/abstract