Intelligent tool for selecting colors and fonts for graphical user interfaces

Abstract

In 1993 we introduced a general architecture for adding guidance to interactive systems which we have extended to the domain of user interface design in a system called CRAFT (Color Rule and Font Tool). In this approach the choices for each operation (e.g., selecting background color, selecting text color) are constrained by perceptual and aesthetic 'rules'. In this architecture, all related operations are linked, which means that every time the user makes a selection, the impact of that choice is reflected in the selections for other opertions. For example, if the user selects a color for a window background, that information is fed back to the operation for selecting text color, where legibility rules use this information to constrain the set of text colors to those which provide sufficient luminous contrast for good legibility. This network of linked, intelligent operations help guide the user through the complex design space of colors and fonts. In this paper we enhance the craft system by developing the relationship between the rules and the information which drives them, with the special focus on fonts and font/color interactions.