Washed out user interface - is there any way to correct for it?

Question

This is an interesting conundrum.

We have a WPF app that has a Vista-like theme using soft pastels, Aero control templates, etc. What we've noticed is that this UI appears incredibly washed out on low quality LCDs. Is there a way to boost color saturation application-wide or are we at the mercy of bad monitors? Can we even tell, programmatically if we're being displayed on a low quality monitor?

EDIT:

Basically, these answers are what I wanted someone to confirm, without me leading people to say them! It was a management decision higher than me to go with this appearance and I needed some corroboration.

Thanks everyone!

Answer 1

I am not sure if WPF allows you to do anything, but my guess is that you can't directly control a user's monitor. You can get things about the user's computer, namely bitdepth, but to adjust on-the-fly graphical information would be hugely expensive (processor wise). You could write a routine that does it - changes the color of the graphics or such thing, but why? It's the client machine - you really should program with the idea that you have no control over it. If it is washed out on their screens, then they need better hardware, or they need to adjust the brightness/contract on their monitors correctly. It's basically out of your realm of control.

Answer 2

You chose a bad palette.

Do some work on the UI; introduce more natural contrast.

You wouldn't want to add programming to work around the bad palette choice, even if you could.

Just change the colors.

Answer 3

Going off what the previous two said, here's where an understanding of color theory can come in handy. There's nothing you can do to control the saturation or hue of people's monitors; some folks might be using your app in grayscale, for all you know. As such, it's important to start with a well-chosen, versatile set of colors and shades. A general scheme that encompasses as many different setups as possible is a good starting point for a UI.

Answer 4

Go and check out two screen casts at:
Mark Miller on The Science of a Great User Experience Part 1
Mark Miller on The Science of a Great User Experience Part 2

There is some information on colours and contrasts for UI that might be of some help, plus a lot of other good information.

Answer 5

A wild idea would be to implement a saturation shader and set it on the window :) that way the user can control the saturation by himself!

but..like i said... a wild idea, probably not a good one!