Practical Game Design

Use movement, contrast, and saturation to grab the user's attention

Our eyes are naturally predisposed to prioritize movement; after all, it can signify a potential threat or prey. A pulsating button will draw attention even if placed in our peripheral vision (should it persist, it can also become really annoying). Another tool you can use is color contrast. Some color pairings are stronger than others; red and green have a stronger effect than blue and yellow, even though both colors are considered strongly contrasting and are placed on the opposite sides of the color wheel. This could be traced to our ingrown ability to distinguish between ripe and unripe fruit. Differences in color saturation and brightness are more effective if they are ...