Visual Attributes of Oral Solid Dosage Forms and User Perceptions of Safety and Efficacy: A Cross-Sectional Study
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Abstract
The visual features of oral solid dosage forms have been shown to influence users’ perceptions and expectations of medications. This study aimed to evaluate how colour and shape impact perceived safety and expected therapeutic efficacy of tablets and capsules, and to investigate potential differences between human perceptual responses and model-based predictions. A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out using an online questionnaire with images of tablets and capsules. The final analysis included 80 participants. Participants assessed perceived safety and efficacy based on tablet colour, tablet shape, and capsule colour. Descriptive statistics were used, and correlations between gender and perceptual responses were examined using the chi-square test. Blue tablets and white capsules were most frequently associated with higher perceived safety, while tablet colour showed limited influence on perceived efficacy. In contrast, tablet shape demonstrated a stronger association with expected therapeutic efficacy, with oblong tablets being most frequently perceived as more effective. Capsule colour appeared to influence expectations of efficacy more strongly than tablet colour. Statistically significant gender differences in efficacy perceptions by colour were observed for both tablets and capsules (p < 0.05), whereas no significant gender differences were found for safety-related perceptions. Visual attributes, particularly shape and colour, influence users’ perceptions of oral solid dosage forms, with tablet shape emerging as a more salient cue for efficacy expectations than colour. These findings highlight the importance of empirical assessment of human perceptual responses when considering visual design elements in patient-centred pharmaceutical development.
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