Abstract
Task-solving situations are often challenging our ability to approach them in the most adapted state of mind. Building on regulatory focus theory, we propose to use specific color and form characteristics to prime cognitive regulations that are likely to match either creative or accuracy framed tasks. In that line, a first study identified color and form characteristics as being involved in activating either a vigilant prevention cognition or a flexible promotion cognition. These findings were then used to visually design creative or accuracy oriented tasks. It was expected that a fit between the strategic orientations induced by these designs and tasks accuracy or creativity framing, would to positively influence both performance and overall subjective experience. Experimental results supported these predictions: Participants performed better when the visual design was composed of colors and forms inducing a regulatory orientation matching tasks' natures. Regulatory fit had also a global positive impact on subjective variables like fun and satisfaction. Overall, the results point out the advantage of taking benefit from visual characteristics' inherent priming potential. Our research can be related both to research domains (RFT, user experience research, color research) and to concrete applications in actual design processes.