Options on a form field can carry their own colours, so the answer given is visible at a glance rather than read word by word. A Fail in red among a column of green Pass entries is spotted instantly; the same column in plain text has to be read.
Where to set it: on a field’s options in the form builder.
Setting colours on an option
Each option in a field’s option list has two colour pickers beside its text:
| Picker | Sets |
|---|---|
| First | The text colour when that option is chosen. |
| Second | The background colour when that option is chosen. |
Both offer a palette, and both can be left with no colour — you are not obliged to colour every option. Colouring only the ones that matter is usually the better choice: if everything is coloured, nothing stands out.
Where the colour appears
The colour is applied to the field once that option is selected, when the form is being completed and when it is read back afterwards. An unanswered field is uncoloured, so colour indicates an answer rather than a prompt.
Colours also carry into grid-style fields, so a table of answers shows its coloured cells in place.
Setting the text and background to the same colour turns colouring off for that option. Identical values are treated as no colour at all — which is sensible, since text on a background of its own colour would be invisible.
Choosing colours that work
- Set both, or neither. A dark background with default dark text is unreadable; if you set a strong background, set a light text colour with it.
- Colour the exceptions. Red for a failure and nothing for a pass reads faster than a full traffic-light scheme.
- Keep it consistent across forms. If red means action required on one form, it should not mean complete on another.
- Do not rely on colour alone. The option text still says what the answer is, which matters for anyone who cannot easily distinguish colours and for a printed copy.
Things to know
- Colours belong to the option, not the field — each option is coloured separately.
- Changing a colour affects how existing answers display, since the colour is applied when the answer is shown rather than stored with it.
- This is separate from status colours, which colour the status badges on lists. See Customizable Color on Status Codes.