PERCEPTIONS OF LED LIGHT AND COLOR: DESIGNING LIGHTING STRATEGIES FOR MILLENIALS AND BABY BOOMERS By Rebekah Matheny & Emily Bell Understanding how to best employ the effects of LED lighting is crucial, now more than ever. Indeed, recent research, targeting both millennials and baby boomers, focuses on the importance of LED light on interiors and people. Attendees will learn about these findings, which are concerned with public environments and lighting strategies. We’ll challenge ourselves as designers to consider perceptions of color temperature and their effects of material appearance, as an avenue for surpassing conventional metrics. In doing so, we’ll also appreciate the significance of user perceptions during design. How generational differences play out in lighting preferences and how to best use this information will also be discussed. This presentation was presented during the NeoCon 2017 Conference in Chicago as a CEU. If you would like to have this CEU presented to your design team, please contact Rebekah Matheny at matheny.89@osu.edu

1. Perceptions of LED Light & Color:
Designing Lighting Strategies for Millennials and Baby Boomers
Rebekah L. Matheny - Assistant Professor, Interior Design
Emily Bell - MFA Candidate, Design Research & Development
Department of Design - The Ohio State University
NeoCon - 2017 - Chicago

2. Interior environments bring
together the elements of color,
pattern and texture...

3. Interior environments bring
together the elements of color,
pattern and texture... but without
light, we cannot perceive or
understand the built environment.

4. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
How does the color of lighting within a space impact
your personal perception of that space?

5. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
How does the color of lighting within a space impact
your personal perception of that space?
Does the color influence how you feel in that space?

6. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
How does the color of lighting within a space impact
your personal perception of that space?
Does the color influence how you feel in that space?
What color temperature of the light do you prefer?

7. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Objectives:
1. Understand current lighting metrics and strategies for
commercial interiors
2. Gain awareness of color temperature and its effects on
color and materials
3. Understand significance of user perceptions during
design development & role of secondary/primary research
4. Challenge lighting design based on current research
findings on Millennial and Baby Boomer perceptions

8. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Outline:
1. Current lighting metrics and strategies
2. Current user groups
3. A Study of Generational Preferences of Light
- Healthcare
- Corporate Office
- Hospitality
- Restaurant

9. “Our cumulative experiences of
light in places is complex, multi-
layered, and rich...”
Marietta Millet, Light Revealing Architecture

10. “Light can make buildings be
places that have special meaning
for us, extending their value
beyond mere functional use.”
Marietta Millet, Light Revealing Architecture

11. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
1. Current Lighting Metrics, Strategies, and Trends
- Overview of lighting metrics
- Lighting design strategies

12. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Luminous Flux amount of light emitted by a source
- Measured in Lumens
- Describes the brightness of produced light
Luminous Flux

13. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Luminous Flux amount of light emitted by a source
- Measured in Lumens
- Describes the brightness of produced light
Luminous Intensity amount of light emitted in a direction
- Measured in Candelas
- Describes the brightness of a specific beam angle
Lum
inous Intensity
Luminous Flux
Object

14. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Luminous Flux amount of light emitted by a source
- Measured in Lumens
- Describes the brightness of produced light
Luminous Intensity amount of light emitted in a direction
- Measured in Candelas
- Describes the brightness of a specific beam angle
Lum
inous Intensity
Luminous Flux
Brightness perceived intensity of light
- Affected by object’s qualities
Object
Brightness

15. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Efficacy efficiency of light production
- Measured in Lumens per Watt
- Describes how many lumens are produced by 1 watt of power
Lumerica

16. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Color Rendering Index accuracy of an object’s color appearance under a light source
- Important for design requiring true color representation
- Scale 0-100, higher = more accurate rendering
- Incandescent and halogen are close to 100
- Average score of source’s accuracy in rendering a number of colors
- Spectral Power Diagrams show how the color rendering changes
CNET
Sekonic

17. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Color Temperature describes the color of white light produced
- Measured in degrees Kelvin
- Correlates to color produced when black body heated to certain temps
- Higher temperature number = cool/blue-toned light
- Lower temperature number = warm/yellow-toned light
- LED & Florescent come in various options 3,000 K - 6500 K
- Incandescent is limited to 2700 K
Bright Hub Engineering Stan Prokopenko

18. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
How does light’s color temperature affect your perception of space?
5000K 3500K 2700K

19. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Does the color temperature impact perceptions of materials?
4000K
2700K

20. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Beyond ambient, task, or accent light...
Bayer Healthcare by Gensler

21. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Defined by Marietta Millet, there are 3 Categories for the Qualities of Light:
1. Focal Glow 2. Ambient Luminescence 3. Play of Brilliance
Play of Brilliance
metaphor for starry sky or reflections off the
ocean ripples
Ambient Luminescence
metaphor of an overcast sky/clouds
Daylight for Design ... Let the Light In
Focal Glow
metaphor of the sunburst through the clouds
qualities of light as defined by Marietta Millet in “Light Revealing Architecture”
Defined by Marietta Millet, there are 3 categories for the Qualities of Light:
1. Focal Glow 2. Ambient Luminescence 3. Play of Brilliance
“Light Revealing Architecture”
Focal Glow
metaphor of the sunburst through the clouds
Ambient Luminescence
metaphor of an overcast sky/clouds
Play of Brilliance
metaphor of starry sky or reflections off the ocean
Defined by Marietta Millet, there are 3 Categories for the Qualities of Light:
1. Focal Glow 2. Ambient Luminescence 3. Play of Brilliance
Play of Brilliance
metaphor for starry sky or reflections off the
ocean ripples
Ambient Luminescence
metaphor of an overcast sky/clouds
Daylight for Design ... Let the Light In
Focal Glow
metaphor of the sunburst through the clouds
qualities of light as defined by Marietta Millet in “Light Revealing Architecture”
Defined by Marietta Millet, there are 3 Categories for the Qualities of Light:
1. Focal Glow 2. Ambient Luminescence 3. Play of Brilliance
Play of Brilliance
metaphor for starry sky or reflections off the
ocean ripples
Ambient Luminescence
metaphor of an overcast sky/clouds
Daylight for Design ... Let the Light In
Focal Glow
metaphor of the sunburst through the clouds
qualities of light as defined by Marietta Millet in “Light Revealing Architecture”

22. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Focal Glow metaphor of the sunburst through the clouds
- strong drop-off
- commands attention/ attracts interest
- strong sense of contrast
Daylight for Design ... Let the Light In
Focal Glow metaphor of the sunburst through the clouds
- Strong drop-off
- Commands attention/attracts interest
- Strong sense of contrast
Focal Glow metaphor of the sunburst through the clouds
- strong drop-off
- commands attention/ attracts interest
- strong sense of contrast
Daylight for Design ... Let the Light In

23. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Ambient Luminescence metaphor of an overcast sky/clouds
- diffusion of light
- good light distribution
- able to see all the details
- surface becomes secondary light source
Daylight for Design ... Let the Light In
Ambient Luminescence metaphor of an overcast sky/clouds
- Diffusion of light
- Good light distribution
- Able to see all the details
- Surface becomes secondary light source
Ambient Luminescence metaphor of an overcast sky/clouds
- diffusion of light
- good light distribution
- able to see all the details
- surface becomes secondary light source
Daylight for Design ... Let the Light In

24. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Play of Brilliance metaphor for starry sky or reflections off the ocean ripples
- tiny points of light
- small distribution light output
- looking at the source gives visual delight
Daylight for Design ... Let the Light In
Play of Brilliance metaphor of starry sky or reflections off the ocean
- Tiny points of light
- Small distribution light output
- Looking at the source gives visual delight
Play of Brilliance metaphor for starry sky or reflections off the ocean ripples
- tiny points of light
- small distribution light output
- looking at the source gives visual delight
Daylight for Design ... Let the Light In

25. “Our experience of light is
grounded in the place or places
with which we are familiar.”
Marietta Millet, Light Revealing Architecture

26. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
2. Current Users Groups
- Generational differences and technology

27. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
In the U.S., the two largest generations are:
Baby Boomers and Millennials

28. Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964)
Have lived most of their lives with warm-toned incandescent
light, developed in 1880 and phased out of production in 2009.
(Color Temp: 2700K)

29. Millennials (born between 1982 and 2004)
Grew up with a prevalence of cool-toned compact fluorescent
(CFL: mid 1980’s) or LED light developed in the mid 1990’s with
widespread commercial installation occurring in early 2000’s.
(Color Temp: 3000 - 6500K)

30. Technology Advancements
The use of personal handheld
devices, which utilize LED technology,
has increased 33% over the past
four years. The Millennial generation
has grown up with a very different
perception of light than previous
generations.

31. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
What do our two largest generations think of these lighting conditions?

32. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
What do our two largest generations think of these lighting conditions?
Do color temperature preferences differ between
Millennial and Baby Boomer generations?

33. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
What do our two largest generations think of these lighting conditions?
Do color temperature preferences differ between
Millennial and Baby Boomer generations?
Are preferences shared in some interior environments, but not others?

34. “Out of its ceaseless
transformation, light continually
reinvents the world.”
Tadao Ando, Light

35. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
3. A Study of Generational Perceptions of Light
- Survey Development
- Results
- Implications and Applications

36. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Photographing materials palettes
Four materials palettes: healthcare, corporate office, hospitality, restaurant
Four color temperatures: 3150K, 3500K, 4000K, 5000K

37. 3150 K
LED
3500 K
LED
4000 K
LED
5000 K
LED
Healthcare Office Hospitality Restaurant

38. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Survey: Preference
After viewing the four side-­by-­side images,
please indicate which image you prefer.
Healthcare

39. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
3150 K LED 3500 K LED 4000 K LED 5000 K LED
Healthcare Material Palette

40. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Healthcare Material Palette
6%
25%
31%
38%
29%
0%
36%
36%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
3150K 3500K 4000K 5000K
Color Temperature of Light
Lighting Preference for Healthcare
Millennial
Baby Boomer

41. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
3150 K LED 3500 K LED 4000 K LED 5000 K LED
Corporate Office Material Palette

42. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Corporate Office Material Palette
0%
19%
13%
69%
7%
0%
36%
57%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
3150K 3500K 4000K 5000K
Color Temperature of Light
Lighting Preference for Office
Millennial
Baby Boomer

43. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
3150 K LED 3500 K LED 4000 K LED 5000 K LED
Hospitality Material Palette

44. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Hospitality Material Palette
6%
13%
19%
63%
14%
29% 29% 29%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
3150K 3500K 4000K 5000K
Color Temperature of Light
Lighting Preference for Hospitality
Millennial
Baby Boomer

45. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
3150 K LED 3500 K LED 4000 K LED 5000 K LED
Restaurant Material Palette

46. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Restaurant Material Palette
0%
31%
38%
31%
21% 21%
36%
21%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
3150K 3500K 4000K 5000K
Color Temperature of Light
Lighting Preference for Restaurant
Millennial
Baby Boomer

47. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Healthcare 5000K LED Corporate Office 5000K LED Restaurant 4000K LED Hospitality 5000K LED
Implications
Within the interior design industry, based on standard metrics and guides,
these space typologies are typically illuminated with warm light (2700K - 3500K),
but our participants preferred cool light

48. *Image of OhioHealth Neuro & Ortho Rehab - M+A Architects by Cory Klein Photography*Image of OSU Pediatric Clinic - M+A Architects by Wood-N Photography
Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Healthcare Spaces
4000K 3000K

49. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Corporate Office Spaces
4000K & 3500K 3000K *Image of Northwest Mutual Office - M+A Architects by Cory Klein Photography

50. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Corporate Office Spaces
4000K 3000K

51. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
4000K 2700K
Hospitality Spaces

52. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
3500K 2700K
Hospitality Spaces

53. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
3500K 2700K
Restaurant Spaces

54. Perceptions of LED Light and Color
Retail Spaces
4000K 2700K

55. Which begs the question...

56. Which begs the question... have
technology advancements
changed people’s preferences?

57. Which begs the question... have
technology advancements
changed people’s preferences?
Or are people searching to be
more connected to nature?

59. Seminar and Keynote Evaluations on the NeoCon App
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Rate Program icon in the left side ribbon.
4. Rate the program and submit.
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