How to classify content and actions?

Question

How can I classify a type of action or content? Such as distinguishing two actions and content, the Customer and the Seller.

Would the use of colours be convenient? Example:

• Blue buttons indicate actions a customer would take, blue icons (next to content) refers to content that will interest a customer.

• Red buttons indicate actions a seller would take, red icons (next to content) refers to content that will interest a seller.

Are there better ways to do this? Such as only icons (inside buttons & next to content), which can be alot more memorable depending on the icon.

If using colors do they have to be opposites? For example this colour palette do not provides colours that are distinguishable such as blue and red and is one of the issues I am facing...

The users needs to distinguish the kind of content and action. On this platform the user is given the ability to buy and sell, such as in Ebay.

Answer 1

Rather than distinguish actions on a page, instead distinguish the page itself. It would be very odd to have actions where you can do both types of interaction on a single page. Create a visually distinct style between Sellers and Buyers. If you incorporate different color schemes in these two styles (such as Orange for Buyers, and Blue for Sellers) then on the very rare pages that incorporate actions for both types of user, you might use those colors as indicators. Which colors you choose is mostly a design issue, not UX; but whatever you choose as the colors that theme pages for the two types of users, buttons should match that theme.