Colour Association in Game

Intro:
Colour association plays a big part in our lives and is in fact a naturally occurring thing. Wasps are coloured yellow & black because they signify danger to other creatures; hoverflies copied this as a defensive mechanism.

If we see a small black & yellow thing we can assume it's gonna hurt us, it's a natural assumption we've learned - and it's just by the colours on it.

How is this already being used in my game play?
Well, if I say paladin you think pink. This is just one example of colour association and a trained bias in your perception - this is done through the repeated association of paladins and the colour pink (as it is their class colour). Little do most know, this can be used to our advantage very effectively in the right circumstance.

How do I use this exactly?
First of all, it's important to know some of the pre-ordained bias' you'll probably have from playing World of Warcraft, such as health being green, priests being white etc. etc.; most of these are fairly common. But we can push this to even better standards.

Tip #1:
Avoid certain colours; avoiding 'frequent flyer' colours such as green symbols will help you associate certain parts of your UI without you actually needing to acknowledge them fully.

Green is always associated with health - whether you like it or not if I say green it's not 'plague strike' or another ability that pops to mind - it's health. So finding a suitable colour that is independent from other UI features will allow you to manage all of your cooldowns without so much as looking at your bars.

With enough training you'll be able to see the vague colours of your UI bars through your 'extended vision' and just know what cooldowns you have available. This all links in with my last thread about UI placement with eye focusing & brain sides.

Tip #2:
Avoid using colours that blend or clash with the environment; I seriously recommend using girly pastel colours. It's all good associating your hits with the colour red, only to find the fiery background obscures your vision. Use colours that do not match the UI or general screen colour.

Tip #3:
Keep associations constant; make macros if you have to, and keep the colours consistent. Changing them undoes a lot of the training you've put your brain through to get there!