Table top surface appraisal by school children under different lighting conditions tested in the Senselab

Abstract

To find out whether a surface finishing was preferred under different lighting conditions by school children, in the light test chamber of the SenseLab, 335 children from previous studied schools were asked to assess a desk surface during different light conditions. A two-way randomized design was used to test children's assessments for six school desks table tops (brown, yellow and grey wood, and, normal, matt and reflective white), under three different light conditions: energizing, calming, and focusing. A statistically relevant relationship was found for the three wooden surfaces, but none for the white ones. Such results may be due to the fact that better contrast between the participants' form and the surface appeared with the wooden-like surfaces, as opposed to that with the white surfaces. Similarly, white surfaces' characteristics seemed to be more difficult to assess (mattness, reflectiveness, opacity) as opposed to those fr the wooden-like surfaces (colour yellow, brown, grey).