Las Vegas effect

English

Etymology

An allusion to the bright lights of the buildings and casinos in Las Vegas.

Proper noun

the Las Vegas effect

1. (graphical user interface) The distracting overuse of colour in a user interface.

   Synonym: angry fruit salad

   • 1994, Theo Mandel, Windows vs. OS/2, the GUI-OOUI War, Van Nostrand Reinhold, →ISBN, page 109:

     This helps make a user interface seem somehow friendlier and easier to use. However, this "Las Vegas" effect, as I discussed in Chapter 1, can actually distract users from their tasks.