Change front panel default color to a lighter color

[avalim]

Let's change the front panel default color from the traditional darker grey/gray to a lighter and more modern color - see picture B (the lighter grey/gray is the same used in LabVIEW dialogs). This modification would only affect new VIs.

In addition, we should modify the default controls to lighter colors and change the graphics background color from black to white - see picture C. 

A) Default Colors                                                             B) Lighter grey default

  

C) Lighter controls and white graphic background  

[Mads]

Donkdonk - yup, if the user changes the system colors LabVIEW system colors will and should follow. You need a really good reason to deviate from what the user is used to in the system - and/or has requested.

Joel Spolsky has some good articles about GUI design...here's two of them:

http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000058.html

http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000057.html

[Manzolli]

For long years I use a low saturated blue (close to gray) as default background color to any new front panel.

Actually I never liked the standard gray over gray. But anybody can do right now just changing the “Front Panel” color in the Environment category in the Options.

I do think that the lighter gray (B) is better.

[altenbach]

The lighter color (Choice C) is certainly more appealing and cleaner looking, so I am all for it. The darker graphs (and other objects) however look somewhat out of place in option B. It would be nice to have a "special" color for front panel objects that would always inherit the background color below it. Aren't some of the spare bits in the highest octet of the U32 color datatype used for similar things?

I tend to use system controls for visible UI panels, but there are glaring omissions that make it sometimes a bit of a hit & miss. For example, there is no "system" array container (with a correctly colored frame and a system spin control as index control) or "system" cluster container (could look similar to the system radio button control).  😞

Of course some of these problems would cease if we had flat controls, indicators, and containers. 

.

Message Edited by altenbach on 01-14-2010 09:18 AM

[RavensFan]

I think the general consensus is the lighter background and controls in C, with the black graph background that is in B.  That is what confused me in one of the earlier replies (Dave Thomson) where he picked B, but I think that was only because of the black graph background, but otherwise liked the colors in C.

[Ray.R]

I agree with Altenbach.

I prefer C.  Yes, option B would look out of place.

How about some modern "LED / LCD looking" displays instead of analog meters?

Analog (needle) meters dissappeared in th 80's...

RayR

[UrsL]

Sorry I'm a bit late with my comments here. Even though it seems as if things like FP coloring is completely unimportant, it is not. Design elements make a huge impact on how a user perceives a user interface and it's well worth to give these details careful considerations. A change of the default background color makes a big effect on the appearance of the front panels of existing VIs. If you make it lighter gray or even white, the default color of FP-elements will no longer fit in nicely.

I would not change the default background color. However, an option to use the system default colors might be a good solution. Along these lines maybe the possibility to select different types of themes while visualizing their immediate effects on existing FP layouts. Also I would guess that changing the graph default background color from black to white could cause a number of undesirable effects.

After all the programmer can change all colors properties according to his/her own taste. This has been there since LabVIEW 2.0.

Something to consider is the possibility to adapt colors only if the front panel is printed out.

[UrsL]

Sorry I'm a bit late with my comments here. Even though it seems as if things like FP coloring is completely unimportant, it is not. Design elements make a huge impact on how a user perceives a user interface and it's well worth to give these details careful considerations. A change of the default background color makes a big effect on the appearance of the front panels of existing VIs. If you make it lighter gray or even white, the default color of FP-elements will no longer fit in nicely.

I would not change the default background color. However, an option to use the system default colors might be a good solution. Along these lines maybe the possibility to select different types of themes while visualizing their immediate effects on existing FP layouts. Also I would guess that changing the graph default background color from black to white could cause a number of undesirable effects.

After all the programmer can change all colors properties according to his/her own taste. This has been there since LabVIEW 2.0.

Something to consider is the possibility to adapt colors only if the front panel is printed out.

[Tom_Hawkins]

The point of system colours is that they reflect whatever the OS specifies, so yes, if you use a system colour then it will change if the OS theme changes. That's usually what you want.

[altenbach]

I noticed a problem with the system radio control. It's frame is barely visible on a light colored background. Things probably need to be tweaked.

[Jean-Philippe_C]

Hello,

I am also for option C, especially for the white background of graphs.

Indeed, one of my customers ( a teacher in a school) told me that black background uses a lot of ink when you want to print the front panel. White background would be better.