Research Design Connections: Mask Color

Cobanoglu, of the University of South Florida, reports on work conducted with Ali, Nanu, Shahtakhtinskaya, and Rahman related to mask wearing during the pandemic and optimal mask colors.  It may be possible to apply these findings in additional contexts. The researchers learned via a survey administered to 1,800 Americans during which  “respondents visited a restaurant or hotel as a guest, doing so virtually. . . . Results show that customers perceive higher service quality in a restaurant or hotel if employees wear masks, regardless of the color or type of mask. . . . Results show . . . a white mask is perceived the highest, followed by a colorful mask, black mask, blue mask and clear mask. . . . Based on the results of this study, scholars recommend hotel and restaurant employees use a white mask. . . . While many service establishments use clear masks as they believe they show the expressions of the service person, this study shows that customers are not likely to make that same connection and the masks were perceived as significantly less valuable than others.”

Cihan Cobanoglu. 2020.  “Do Masks Make a Difference in Customer Perception of Service Quality in Hotels and Restaurants?” https://www.cobanoglu.com/post/do-masks-make-a-difference-in-customer-pe…

Sally Augustin, PhD, a cognitive scientist, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com), a monthly subscription newsletter and free daily blog, where recent and classic research in the social, design, and physical sciences that can inform designers’ work are presented in straightforward language. Readers learn about the latest research findings immediately, before they’re available elsewhere. Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is also the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture (Wiley, 2009) and, with Cindy Coleman, The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design (Wiley, 2012). She is a principal at Design With Science (www.designwithscience.com) and can be reached at sallyaugustin@designwithscience.com.