Color Me Productive

sartin writes "Forget the saturated colors from The Andromeda Strain lab, researchers at The University of Texas report how color affects productivity. The results have some expected (different things work for different people) and some surprising (bright red is very good for some people) tidbits. At long last, I have scientific proof that the taupe and beige on my cubical wall are not the best colors for my productivity."

Comments

Hawthorne effect

[dpbsmith]

Umpteen decades ago, scientists studying productivity at Western Electric's manufacturing complex were baffled because everything they did seemed to work. They increased lighting levels: productivity went up. They decreased lighting levels: productivity went up. They finally figured out that what was increasing productivity was the workers' perception that management was displaying an interest in improving their working conditions. See Hawthorne studies

An article like "color me productive" that doesn't mention the Hawthorne effect and explain why they don't think this is just more of the same... is garbage.

Furthermore, any study that doesn't compare the relative effects of: spending money on painting the walls red; spending the same money on alternative improvements (bigger cubicles, better chairs, quieter rooms, better lighting); spending the same money on raises... is garbage.