Blue & Psychology in Web3

In this episode, prepared and hosted by IKB collective member Simon, we're diving into the fascinating psychology of blue in digital spaces, exploring how this powerful color shapes our online experiences and influences our behavior. We'll uncover the science behind blue's emotional impact, examine its role in building trust, and discover how it's revolutionizing design in the Web3 era.

📚 References & Further Reading

Global Preference for Blue

YouGov (2015). Blue is the world’s most popular color.
https://today.yougov.com/topics/lifestyle/articles-reports/2015/09/11/blue-most-popular-color

Blue, Emotion, and Cognition

Mehta, R. & Zhu, R. (2009). Blue or Red? Exploring the Effect of Color on Cognitive Task Performances. Science, 323(5918).

Küller, R., Mikellides, B., & Janssens, J. (2009). Color, arousal, and performance: A comparison of three experiments. Color Research & Application.

GF Smith & University of Sussex (2019). The World’s Favourite Colour Project.
https://gfsmith.com/pages/worlds-favourite-colour

Trust, Retention, and Website Color

Cyr, D., Head, M., & Larios, H. (2009). Color appeal in website design within and across cultures: A multi-method evaluation. MIS Quarterly, 33(3).

Alberts, H. & van der Geest, T. (2011). Color and credibility: Website color schemes rated by users.

Palumbo, R., et al. (2017). Color in marketing: A review of research.

Conversion Rate Experiments (CTA Buttons)

HubSpot / Performable (2011). Red vs. Green Button Test — red outperformed green by 21%.
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/button-color-perform

CXL Institute Case Study. Blue CTA vs. Orange CTA — blue button ~9% higher clicks.
https://cxl.com/blog/button-color-testing/

Blue in Art & Value Perception

Ma, Y., et al. (2019). Color and bidding behavior in art auctions.

Smithsonian Magazine (2019). Blue paintings sell for more, study finds.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/blue-paintings-sell-more-study-finds-180972356/

NFT & Visual Traits

Nadini, M., et al. (2021). Mapping the NFT revolution: market trends and visual features. Scientific Reports, 11(20902).

DappRadar (2022). NFT Market Reports.
https://dappradar.com/nft

Crypto Branding & Community

Coinbase Brand Guidelines.
https://brand.coinbase.com

Syrjälä, H., et al. (2022). The role of color in online community branding.

Accessibility & Technical Use of Blue

W3C (2023). Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2.
https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/

Anecdote: The Value of Hue Shifts

BBC News (2014). Google’s “41 shades of blue” test added $200m revenue.
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26260978