What role do typography and colors play in our healthcare interfaces?
Typography and color are two essential components of interface design (HMI). They have a significant impact on readability, accessibility, and the overall user experience. This is especially true in the healthcare sector, where the ability to easily read and understand data is essential.
Functionality Before Aesthetics
Although aesthetics are important, they should never compromise functionality in healthcare interfaces. Legible typography and appropriate colors contribute to both the interface’s effectiveness and its visual appeal, thereby creating a perfect balance between form and function.
Why is this so important?
- Improving Readability and Comprehension: In the medical field, clear information is crucial. Careful selection of fonts and colors helps professionals better understand the data, thereby reducing the risk of errors.
- Reducing eye strain: Healthcare professionals spend a lot of time in front of screens. By using appropriate fonts and colors (hello, dark mode), we can reduce eye strain, helping them be more efficient and focused in their daily work.
- Improving Navigation and Orientation: Medical software, such as electronic health records, contains a great deal of information. By making effective use of colors and fonts, we can help healthcare professionals quickly find what they’re looking for, saving them time and reducing the risk of errors.
What We've Implemented at Enovacom
For all these reasons, in the Enovacom Design System, we chose blue as our action color, because blue evokes trust and stability and provides excellent contrast against most backgrounds. We also chose to define red as the alert color for irreversible actions and orange to indicate a warning…
As for the fonts, Inter and Poppins were chosen—first, because they are very easy to read, even at small sizes, and their design gives the interfaces a more modern look. In addition, the combination of these two fonts creates an effective visual hierarchy, with Poppins being ideal for headings and Inter for the body text, thus ensuring a consistent and enjoyable reading experience for users.
The takeaway from all this
Choosing the right typeface and colors improves the user experience and, potentially, the quality of care.