Testing Your Website Color Scheme: Tools and Techniques for Optimizing UX

In fact, studies show that 90% of snap judgments about a product or brand are based on color alone.

But how do you know if your website design colors are working? Are they easy on the eyes? Do they guide users to take action? Or are they driving people away without you even realizing it?

At The Creative Unit (TCU), we’ve helped businesses around the world create website designs that not only look great but also perform well. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to test your website’s color scheme to make sure it’s improving user experience (UX) and helping your business grow.

Why Your Website Color Scheme Matters

Before we dive into testing, let’s understand why colors are so important in website design:

1. Colors Affect User Emotions

Different colors evoke different feelings:

1. Blue – Trust, professionalism (used by Facebook, LinkedIn)
2. Red – Energy, urgency (used by Netflix, Coca-Cola)
3. Green – Growth, health (used by Whole Foods, Spotify)
4. Yellow – Happiness, optimism (used by McDonald’s, Snapchat)

If your website design uses colors that clash with your brand’s message, users might feel confused or even frustrated.

2. Colors Guide User Attention

A well-chosen color scheme can:

1. Highlight important buttons (like “Buy Now” or “Sign Up”).
2. Separate different sections of your website.
3. Make text easier to read.

If your colors are too bright or poorly contrasted, users might miss key information.

3. Colors Impact Accessibility

Not everyone sees colors the same way. 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women have some form of color blindness. If your website design doesn’t account for this, you could be excluding a big part of your audience.

4. Colors Influence Conversions

The right colors can increase conversions by up to 24%. For example:

1. A red “Buy Now” button might outperform a green one.
2. A high-contrast color scheme can make your call-to-action (CTA) buttons stand out.

If your colors aren’t tested, you could be losing potential customers without even knowing it.

How to Test Your Website Color SchemeWhen you visit a website, what’s the first thing you notice? For many people, it’s the colors. A website’s color scheme isn’t just about making things look pretty, it plays a huge role in how users feel, how they navigate, and whether they stay or leave.

Now that you know why colors matter, let’s look at how to test them effectively.

1. Check for Color Contrast

Why it matters: Poor contrast makes text hard to read, especially for people with visual impairments.

How to test:

1. Use WebAIM’s Contrast Checker (free tool) to see if your text and background colors meet accessibility standards.
2. Aim for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

Example:

1. Light gray text on a white background = hard to read.
2. Black text on a white background = easy to read.

Pro Tip: If you’re unsure about contrast, contact The Creative Unit (TCU) for a professional website design audit.

2. Test for Color Blindness

Why it matters: If your website design isn’t colorblind-friendly, you could be alienating a significant portion of your audience.

How to test:

Use Color Oracle (free tool) to simulate how your website looks to people with different types of color blindness (e.g., protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia).

Avoid relying only on color to convey information. For example:

1. Mistake: “Click the red button to proceed.”
2. The right way: “Click the red circle button to proceed.”

Example:

1. Bad: A green “Success” message on a red background (hard to distinguish for colorblind users).
2. Good: A green “Success” message with a checkmark icon (clear for everyone).

3. Use Heatmaps to See User Behavior

Why it matters: Heatmaps show where users click, scroll, and spend time on your website. This helps you see if your color scheme is guiding them effectively.

How to test:

Use Hotjar or Crazy Egg to track user interactions.

Look for patterns:

1. Are users ignoring your CTA buttons? Maybe the color isn’t standing out.
2. Are they struggling to find important information? Your color hierarchy might be off.

Example:

1. If your “Sign Up” button is gray and blends into the background, users might miss it. Changing it to a bright, contrasting color (like orange or blue) could increase clicks.

4. A/B Test Different Color Schemes

Why it matters: A/B testing lets you compare two versions of your website design to see which one performs better.

How to test:

1. Use Google Optimize or Optimizely to test different color schemes.
2. Test one element at a time (e.g., button color, background color, text color).
3. Measure which version gets more clicks, sign-ups, or sales.

Example:

1. Version A: Red “Buy Now” button.
2. Version B: Green “Buy Now” button.
3. Result: If Version A gets 20% more clicks, you know red works better for your audience.

5. Get Feedback from Real Users

Why it matters: Sometimes, the best way to know if your colors work is to ask real people.

How to test:

Use UserTesting or SurveyMonkey to gather feedback.

Ask questions like:

1. “How do the colors on this website make you feel?”
2. “Is the text easy to read?”
3. “Which button stands out the most?”

Example:

1. If multiple users say your website feels “too aggressive” because of bright red colors, you might want to tone it down.

6. Check for Mobile-Friendliness

Why it matters: Over 60% of web traffic comes from mobile devices. If your colors look great on desktop but terrible on mobile, you’re losing potential customers.

How to test:

1. Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to see how your website design performs on phones and tablets.
2. Check if colors appear washed out or too bright on smaller screens.

Example:

1. A dark blue background might look sleek on desktop but too heavy on mobile. Adjusting to a lighter shade could improve readability.

7. Test for Cultural Appropriateness

Why it matters: Colors can have different meanings in different cultures. What works in the West might not work in South.

How to test:

1. Research color meanings in your target market.
2. Avoid colors that might have negative associations.

Example:

1. White is often associated with purity in the West but can symbolize mourning in some Eastern cultures.
2. Green is widely accepted worldwide because it is associated with nature, making it a safe choice for local brands.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Website Color Schemes

Even experienced designers make mistakes. Here are some to watch out for:

1. Using too many colors – Stick to 2-3 primary colors and 1-2 accent colors.
2. Ignoring brand guidelines – Your website design colors should match your logo and branding.
3. Poor contrast – Light text on a light background (or dark on dark) is hard to read.
4. Following trends blindly – Neon colors might be trendy, but will they still look good in 5 years?
5. Not testing on different devices – Colors can look different on phones, tablets, and monitors.

Tools to Test and Optimize Your Website Color Scheme

Here are some of the best tools to help you test and improve your website design colors:

How The Creative Unit (TCU) Can Help Optimize Your Website Colors

Testing and optimizing your website design colors can be time-consuming, especially if you’re not a designer. At The Creative Unit (TCU), we specialize in creating website designs that are:

1. User-friendly – Colors that guide users and improve UX.
2. Brand-aligned – A color scheme that matches your business identity.
3. Conversion-focused – Colors that encourage clicks and sales.
4. Mobile-optimized – Looks great on any device.

Conclusion

Your website’s color scheme is more than just a visual choice, it’s a powerful tool that affects user experience, accessibility, and conversions. By testing your colors for contrast, accessibility, user behavior, and cultural appropriateness, you can create a website design that not only looks great but also performs well.

Remember:

1. Start with accessibility – Make sure everyone can read and navigate your site.
2. Test with real users – Heatmaps and feedback are invaluable.
3. A/B test colors – Small changes can lead to big improvements in conversions.
4. Keep it simple – A clean, well-thought-out color scheme is always better than a cluttered one.

If you’re ready to optimize your website design for better UX and conversions, The Creative Unit (TCU) is here to help.