Intercultural observer preference for perceived illumination chromaticity for different coloured object scenes

Abstract

The preference for the chromaticity of high illuminance, high colour rendering LED illumination of different scenes was investigated for Chinese and European observers. An experiment about the preference for perceived illumination chromaticity was conducted with the same multi-LED light engine, same viewing booth and same coloured objects transported between Germany and China. Observer preference for perceived illumination chromaticity was significantly influenced by correlated colour temperature (2700 K–6500 K), object scene colour (red, blue or mixed), cultural background (Chinese or European origin, living in Germany or in China) and gender (men, women). The results can be used to choose an appropriate correlated colour temperature (e.g. warm white or cool white) for a high-quality lighting product to illuminate different object scenes (e.g. red or blue objects) so as to achieve good user acceptance in the global market.

Light dominates colour preference when correlated colour temperature differs

“…Just as the work of Bodrogi et al 8 , since they intently generated the light SPDs with similar colour quality metrics (including GAI), the influence of light on colour preference turned out to be weak. Another counter example is the work of Lasauskaite et al 55 .…”

“…Researchers are beginning to agree that a full description of light quality actually includes many different aspects, such as fidelity 1,6 , preference 7,8 , naturalness 2,9 , vividness 3,10,11 , harmony 12 and discrimination 13,14 . Therefore, describing the quality of a light source with only one metric is not sufficient [15][16][17][18] .…”

Colour preference, naturalness, vividness and colour quality metrics, Part 1: Experiments in a room

“…15 Mean values and 95% confidence intervals of mean scaled preference for red, blue and colourful objects and men and women excluding the men's results for red objects. The prediction curve (r 2 ¼ 0.96) is represented by equation (2) Colour preference, naturalness and vividness, Part 1 11…”

“…According to the white tone preference hypothesis, coloured objects are more preferred under the two neutral white light sources (FL-nw, CCT ¼ 4116 K and LED-nw, CCT ¼ 4013 K) than under the three warm white light sources. In the previous study on illumination chromaticity preference for different coloured object scenes, 15 the mean scaled preference of European observers for all coloured object groups (red, blue and colourful; the men's results for red objects were excluded as these results contradicted the general trend) exhibited a linear tendency (r ¼ 0.99) as a function of CCT in the range of the present five light sources, between 2300 K and 4100 K. The mean preference tendency 15 had a slightly decreasing branch between 5000 K and 6500 K. Figure 7 reproduces these results 15 while the quadratic prediction curve of white chromaticity preference for European observers (WCPE) in Relationship between CQI viv (equation (1)) and mean scaled vividness with 95% confidence intervals (fit line:…”

“…In this study, 15 combinations of red, blue and colourful objects were observed with a spatially extended white surface (viewing booth) and the observers' task was to assess the preference of the chromaticity of the white tone of different light sources at different CCTs. Relatedly, in the experiment described in Part I, CCT turned out to be a useful independent variable to predict the dependent variable 'colour preference' and the following, so-called white tone preference hypothesis was formulated for Part I: The chromaticity of the white tone which is seen together with the coloured objects contributes to the colour preference assessment about the coloured objects.…”