# Visual Perception of Peripheral Screen Elements: The Impact of Text and Background Colors
## 1 Introduction  
The development of multimedia systems, especially digital and internet content, highlights the need to optimize graphical user interface design parameters. Color is a key design element because it captures attention and affects the user's mood. Another important aspect is typography and its impact on reading speed. Reading speed matters for both paper and screen reading. In modern graphical user interfaces, especially on mobile and multitasking platforms, users often rely on subtle peripheral cues, such as notifications, alerts, or ambient indicators, which appear outside the central focus area. As user attention is frequently divided across multiple tasks or windows, understanding how peripheral stimuli are perceived becomes increasingly vital for effective interface design. Many studies highlight the importance of choosing suitable font styles, such as easy-to-read sans serif fonts like Arial or Verdana, which enhance clarity and simplicity [1]. [PERSON] et al. [2] explored the impact of serif and sans serif fonts on the legibility of letters and words on the screen in their study. They tested three serif fonts (Georgia, Times New Roman, and Plantin) and three sans serif fonts (Verdana, Arial, and Franklin). Their findings revealed that Verdana and Arial are the most suitable fonts for on-screen reading, while Times New Roman and Franklin were the least legible. Notably, Franklin is a sans serif font, indicating that not all sans serif fonts are necessarily better for screen reading compared to serif fonts. Preference survey data strongly support using Verdana for on-screen reading. Verdana was the most preferred font, followed by Georgia, Arial, and Times New Roman for reading on a computer screen. Participants favored Verdana twice as much as Times New Roman for on-screen reading [3]. Prior research on visual perception and interface design informed several methodological choices in our study. The use of the Verdana font, for instance, was guided by its demonstrated readability in digital contexts. Similarly, the selection of basic hues, such as red, blue, and green, was based on their frequent use in visibility and contrast studies, which underscore their effectiveness in eliciting perceptual responses. [PERSON] et al. [4] examined the impact of typeface and color combinations on LCD display legibility. They tested two fonts, Georgia and Verdana, both designed for screen use, using eye-tracking technology to measure reading speed and the number of fixations. Participants read texts in various color combinations on a 24-inch LCD display at 12 pt size. The results indicated that text written in the Verdana font was read more quickly when presented in a dark gray on white background combination. In the dark blue on white background combination, there was no significant difference in reading speed between Verdana and Georgia. In the remaining three color combinations, which were dark blue on light gray, red on white, and red on light gray, participants read the text written in Georgia more quickly. [PERSON] et al. [5] compared two typefaces, Georgia and Verdana, designed for screen displays, using eye-tracking technology across eight different sizes. Texts in Verdana were read more quickly regardless of font size. For both typefaces, reading speed improved as the font size increased. In their research, [PERSON] et al. [6] studied the impact of serif and sans serif fonts on text readability on websites. They tested four fonts: Georgia (serif) and Verdana (sans serif), designed for screen display, and Times New Roman (serif) and Arial (sans serif), designed for print media. The results showed no significant difference in readability between serif and sans serif fonts on screens or in print. However, the findings suggest that Verdana and Georgia are better for displaying long texts on websites, while Times New Roman and Arial are superior for print media readability. In his research, [PERSON] [7] identified Verdana as the most readable font.