Spacecraft Alarm Interface Color and Human Performance Association

INTRODUCTION: Given the unpredictability of personnel, equipment, and the aerospace environment, the alarm interface serves as a crucial tool for providing operators with diagnostic, predictive, or guiding information to enhance aerospace safety. The specific relationship between color attributes such as hue, brightness, and saturation of interface warning colors and human stress responses remains unclear.

METHODS: A simulated space station warning interface color experiment was conducted with 80 volunteers possessing normal color vision using a head-down position. The selected 27 red warning colors were evaluated based on response time and performance accuracy metrics.

RESULTS: The findings revealed that each individual variable (hue, brightness, and saturation) significantly affected reaction time, although they did not significantly influence response accuracy. Further analysis of reaction times under simulated microgravity conditions showed optimal reaction performance at a hue of H = 0 and a brightness level of 75%. Additionally, increased saturation was associated with improved color reaction performance.

DISCUSSION: This research provides new empirical evidence regarding the effects of different warning color attributes on human performance in microgravity conditions, offering valuable insights for the design of warning systems in future spacecraft environments.

Yao X, Gan Y, Jiang A, Shen Y. Spacecraft alarm interface color and human performance association. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2025; 96(6):478–484.