The Combined Effect of Gender and Age on Preferred Illuminance and Color Temperature in Daily Living Activities

This study aimed to explore the combined effect of gender and age on preference of illuminance and color temperature in activities of daily living. The 120 participants were divided into 2 age groups based on difference in gender. The experimental conditions are provided by a combination of 3 levels of illuminance (50 lux, 200 lux and 800 lux) and 3 levels of color temperature (2700K, 4200K and 6500K) while the illuminance at 200 lux and color temperature at 4200K were chosen as a base case. The participants were asked to rate the satisfaction survey of light setting in the mock up models which were a reproduction of rooms situation for daily living activities (retiring space (bedroom before sleep), reading space (in the same bedroom) and cooking space in a kitchen) at a scale of 1:10 (40cm x 40cm x 40 cm). Generally, the recommended illuminance in the space for cooking and reading is at 200 lux while in the space for retiring (bedroom before sleep) is at 50 lux. However the experiment revealed the different fact from the previous belief. For example, the situation of illuminance controlled at 200 lux, the elderly person participants, the youth participants, male participants and female participants gave various preferred levels on different color temperature. On the contrary, all group participants agreed the same preferred level on different color temperature when the illuminance was controlled at 50 lux and 800 lux. These results suggest that besides illuminance and color temperature, age and gender are also significant factors in the area of lighting design for daily living activities.