Introduction
How important are the visual aspects of the learning materials that we provide, and what can be achieved by using colour to enhance these visual materials in pursuit of higher student attainment?
Reading is an essential tool for learning, and with up to 10% of the population affected by dyslexia (Brain Sci, 2021), amongst other sensory learning difficulties, it is imperative that we at UAL, offer enhanced learning material to enable those students affected, to flourish.
“Dyslexia is a learning disability of neurobiological origin whose main characteristics are difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition. It is also characterised by poor spelling and decoding abilities which results in problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience.” (Brain Sci. 2021, original source unavailable).
Colour is more than just aesthetics. It plays a pivotal role in guiding learner attention, aiding memory, and influencing mood. According to Arnold J Wilkins (Reading Through Colour, 2003), the use of “coloured overlays on text can improve reading….and has been shown to reduce fatigue and increase fluency” (Wilkins, 2003)
The following study examines whether and how colour enhances understanding, retention, and performance among students, drawing on interdisciplinary findings from cognitive psychology, educational design, and neuroscience.
Context:
The aim of the study, in the context of my academic practice is to find ways of using colour in learning materials to enhance and improve the lived academic experience of my students, both neurodiverse and neurotypical. The impact will be measured through student feedback via the unit evaluation in Block 1 of this Yr 2 Cohort on the BSc Fashion Management.
Inclusive Learning: The problem:
The Neurodiversity Design System, which combines neurodiversity and user experience design for Learning Management Systems states that:
“cognitive fatigue can be increased by high contrast (black text on white background). Learners with an oversensitive visual cortex, visual-perceptual disorder, and those with dyslexia related difficulties (Irlen Syndrome) will experience processing issues identified as part of their neurotype”.
Research & Reflection:
Research carried out (Jakovljevi ́c, T.; Jankovi ́c,M.M.; Savi ́c, A.M.; Soldatovi ́c, I.;ˇColi ́c, G.; Jakulin, T.J.; Papa, G.; Kovi ́c,V, 2021) tested electroencephalography, heart rate variability, electrodermal activity and eye movement, in school age children. The aim was to establish the relationship between physiological parameters and colour modifications in text and backgrounds, in children aged 8-12yrs, which resulted in the identification of several key factors:
- Dyslexic children have longer reading duration and fixation when reading on coloured background overlay.
- Turquoise background, turquoise overlay and yellow background colours are beneficial for dyslexic readers.
- Dyslexic children have higher values of reading power while reading with a purple overlay.
The results drove the conclusion that both pastel and intense background/overlays are beneficial for reading in both dyslexic and non-dyslexic children.
The Irlen Method has pioneered the use of tinted/coloured overlays and filters, demonstrating “improvement in reading fluency, comfort, comprehension, attention, and concentration while reducing light sensitivity”. Irlen Syndrome itself, is not dyslexia, or a reading problem specifically; it is an “information and sensory processing” problem, known as a visual, or perceptual processing disorder, caused by a core light sensitivity, which affects the way that the brain reacts and synthesises information, contributing to sensory overwhelm. Sufferers of Irlen Syndrome may experience poor comprehension, misread words, strain & fatigue, nausea, headaches, concentration issues, lack of motivation, writing difficulties and low self esteem, and a whole host of other problems, often being mistaken for other conditions like ADD or ADHD, and medicated unnecessarily.
Personal experience within the practice of teaching BSc and MSc Fashion Management students has indicated that many of my students, and in particular those who may have Individual Support Agreements in place, exhibit examples of these problems and could benefit from adjustments to the way we share information. Having already instigated automated captions for all of my lectures, changed formative assessment structure, implemented more structured content and comfort breaks, with significant improvement in attainment yr on yr, I think that a more considered use of colour in learning materials could be the next step in assisting all of my students to deliver their best work.
In order to understand the impact of colour on memory, research carried out in China by Khan & Liu (2020), tested the impact of colour on students learning memory, of those exposed to yellow coloured learning materials (papers) vs. those exposed to simple white learning materials. Statistical analysis of the data collected revealed that the group with yellow paper significantly outperformed the control group, with learning materials on white paper, evidenced by significantly higher recall after 2 weeks, suggesting that coloured materials have the potential to enhance long term retention. In this particular instance the learning in question was language, but the theory could be equally well applied across other subject matter.
In the process of developing this intervention, and sharing my ideas with a group of my peers from the PGCert cohort, the theory was borne out by one in our group of 4, who stated that, the instant I changed the on-screen slide colour from white to light blue, it reduced her level of anxiety and introduced a feeling of calmness.
Irlen identified that use of coloured tints and overlays could help 12-14% of both gifted and average neurotypical students, and 46% of neurodiverse students ie. those exhibiting reading problems, dyslexia and learning difficulties. This would lead me to believe that making some small changes, for example, the background colour of slides presented on screen, could have wide ranging positive implications for a great many students.
The Von Restorff Effect (Ballinger, 2024), which is “the proven psychological theory that the more something stands out from the crowd the more likely it is to be seen” also has the potential to come into play here. Hedwig Von Restorff discovered in an experiment that when constructing a list of words, the one that’s different is able to be recalled more easily. The implications of this could be the use of colour in highlighting text, or using coloured text to emphasise key points of learning. The following example of the Von Restorff Effect in practice, uses colour and contrast to attract attention, and a slightly bizarre example to illustrate a point (keeping distance from one another during the Covid-19 pandemic), rendering it memorable, distinctive and worthy of discussion.
Solution:
According to the research, visual stress can be greatly reduced with the addition of colour, with the choice of colour for text maintaining a high contrast ratio with a coloured background eg. black text on a pastel colour background, or white text on a deeper coloured background.
It appears that there are benefits for neurotypical learners too, in reducing eyestrain when experiencing cognitive fatigue. Changing the visual appearance in this way has the potential to improve learning retention and ease anxiety related fatigue.
Building on the UDL Guidelines, the intervention will focus on designing options for Perception, Interaction, Expression and Communication, more specifically, the use of colour to:
- Support opportunities to customise the display of information.
- Optimise access to accessible materials and assistive and accessible technologies & tools.
- Use multiple media for communication.
- Use multiple tools for construction, composition & creativity.
Implementation:
I have started to test this approach in my current lectures, in order to gain some feedback from the current cohort of first year students on the BSc Fashion Management course at LCF, however, the results have been hampered by the term coming to an end.
I plan to introduce the technique of using colour in learning materials next term, capturing specific evidence of the results within the unit evaluation survey. It would be very easy to implement more widely, and has the potential to generate positive impact across the student population.
Conclusion:
Beyond cognition, colour promotes engagement. Warm tones, such as yellow and orange evoke energy and optimism; cool tones such as blue and green bring calm.
It is clear from the variety of secondary research studied that the introduction of colour into learning materials has the potential to:
- Increase retention of information
- Reduce cognitive fatigue
- Improve fluency and speed of reading
- Enhance learning for neurodiverse and dyslexic students
- Reduce anxiety and facilitate feelings of calm
The limitations of time, and lack of primary research at this stage, however, have led me to understand that I am only just scratching the surface of the research required, and that this may form the initial stage of a much greater piece of research.
“Colour is a power which directly influences the soul”
Wassily Kandinsky (artist)
References
Ballinger, James (2024). The Von Restorff Effect. Available at https://thebehavioursagency.com/latest/the-von-restorff-effect [accessed July 07 2025]
Barnett, Thomas (2025). Designing a brand that celebrates neurodiversity. The Neurodiverse Connection. Available at https://ndconnection.co.uk/blog/graphic-design-celebrating-neurodiversity [accessed July 07 2025]
Irlen, Helen (1983). The Irlen Method https://irlen.com/the-irlen-method/ [accessed July 01 2025]
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Neurodiversity Design System, Colour (22nd November 2023). Available at: https://neurodiversity.design/principles/colour/#:~:text=The%20choice%20of%20colour%20for,preferred%20for%20main%2F%20body%20text. [accessed May 26 2025]
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