Interior color characteristics and color perception of older adults: a quantitative study in Ningbo elderly facilities

Current elderly facility design often prioritizes hardware over the spatial environment, while color standards remain insufficiently specific for older adults. Age-related visual impairments reduce spatial contrast and color discrimination, underscoring the need for a scientific, elderly-oriented design system. This study explores whether interior colors in elderly facilities influence color perception of older adults, and how color variables (e.g. color richness, value, RGB components) associated with increased visual attention. The research methodology involved selecting typical elderly facilities in Ningbo for case study, collecting indoor space photographs, and quantifying dominant colors. Eye-tracking experiments were conducted with elderly participants to establish correlations between physiological signals and visual attention to interior colors. Results show that color richness between 37.8% and 70.2% and higher average value (above 51.7%) are associated with visual attention. Increased RGB channel values in dominant colors are associated with higher brightness, showing a positive correlation with visual attention, while saturation has no significant effect. These findings support a shift from experiential to quantified color design in elderly facilities, which inform evidence-based design considerations, aging-friendly strategies.