Thesis
How can simulated adaptive color enhance user experience in digital media?
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
Jun 2026
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00011442
Abstract
This thesis investigates how simulated adaptive color can enhance user experience in digital media, with particular attention to the role of disclosed user control in shaping acceptance of simulated adaptive color behavior. As digital interfaces become increasingly central to daily life, designers have begun exploring dynamic, emotionally responsive systems as alternatives to static visual design. Adaptive color -- in which an interface adjusts its palette in response to a user's inferred emotional state -- represents one such mechanism. The present study simulates this behavior through timer-driven palette transitions using a Wizard-of-Oz protocol, examining user response at an early stage of design inquiry before fully automated affective inference is required. Despite its accessibility and practical feasibility, simulated adaptive color remains underexplored as a primary affective variable in user experience research. To address this gap, the methodology involved employing a two-phase mixed-methods design. A Qualtrics survey administered to 47 participants assessed emotional responses to color stimuli, interface aesthetic preferences, and reactions to two disclosure scenarios. A Wizard-of-Oz simulation conducted with five participants examined real-time behavioral and affective responses to a simulated adaptive color interface built through an iterative AI-assisted prototyping process. Results indicate that simulated adaptive color produces measurable changes in self-reported emotional states, particularly along the activation dimension of (Russell 1980)'s Circumplex Model of Affect. The emotional quality of those changes, whether experienced as engagement or discomfort, depended substantially on individual differences and implementation conditions. Undisclosed adaptation consistently reduced user trust, with 80% of survey respondents expressing greater willingness to use simulated adaptive interfaces when informed in advance. Participants also demonstrated that technically available controls provide limited practical agency when users are unaware of their existence. These findings are interpreted through Norman (2004)'s three-level model of emotional design and situated within existing literature on affective computing and adaptive systems. Six design recommendations are proposed, emphasizing disclosure, discovery of controls, gradual transitions, individual calibration, and context responsiveness as foundational principles for simulated adaptive color interface design.
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Details
- Title
- How can simulated adaptive color enhance user experience in digital media?
- Creators
- Michelle Lipnitsky
- Contributors
- Emil Polyak (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (M.S.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University
- Number of pages
- xiv, 77 pages
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Digital Media; Drexel University; Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design
- Other Identifier
- 991022189595004721