# Visual Inspector Audit: Floating-Clock v3 Color Themes

**Archetype**: Design Quality Review | **Iter**: 19 | **Date**: 2026-04-23

---

## Executive Summary

Evaluated all 10 preset color themes applied uniformly across 3 forex segments (Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai) to assess legibility, opacity appropriateness, color harmony, and rendering artifacts. All themes render cleanly without visual glitches. Ranking reflects real-world usability for quick at-a-glance market monitoring on busy trading desktops.

---

## Evaluation Criteria

1. **Text Legibility**: Primary time (HH:MM:SS) and secondary labels (TSE, HKEX, SSE ticker names and time-to-open) must be crisp and readable at-a-glance without eye strain.
2. **Opacity Balance**: Background should provide enough contrast for text without overwhelming the desktop or becoming invisible when partially obscured by other windows.
3. **Color Harmony**: Foreground text, status indicator glyphs (green dots), and bar fills must work together visually. Uniform theme assignment tests single-color-scheme coherence.
4. **Rendering Quality**: No artifacts, antialiasing issues, or unexpected visual degradation.

---

## Ranking & Analysis

| Rank | Theme              | Verdict | Key Observations                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| ---- | ------------------ | ------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 1    | **High Contrast**  | PASS    | Absolute clarity. Black background (opaque), white text. Primary time is maximally readable. Status indicators pop. No eye strain. Ideal for screen-shared market calls.                                                                                          |
| 2    | **Terminal**       | PASS    | Clean white/black foundation (0.32 opacity). Maintains crisp text rendering. Subtle translucency adds desktop integration without sacrificing legibility. No color fatigue.                                                                                       |
| 3    | **Amber CRT**      | PASS    | Nostalgic amber/black (0.38 opacity). Text legibility excellent; warm tone reduces eye strain during long hours. Status bar and ticker glyphs integrate naturally. Glow effect subtle and intentional.                                                            |
| 4    | **Solarized Dark** | PASS    | Yellow text on dark blue background (0.40 opacity). High contrast, good readability. Slight blue tint provides visual break from pure black. Balance slightly off—yellow-on-blue demands eye focus, not ideal for passive monitoring.                             |
| 5    | **Green Phosphor** | PASS    | Iconic green/black (0.35 opacity). Text bright and legible, historically familiar. Slight advantage: lowest opacity helps UI blend into busy desktop. Mono-color monotony slight weakness for long-duration glancing.                                             |
| 6    | **Gruvbox**        | PASS    | Orange/brown-black (0.42 opacity). Warm palette integrates well with macOS. Adequate contrast but orange + green status indicators create mild visual competition. Slightly softer than amber but still legible.                                                  |
| 7    | **Nord**           | PASS    | Blue-white text on dark blue-gray (0.45 opacity). Professional, calm aesthetic. Foreground/background similarity slightly reduce contrast margin compared to pure white/black. Still readable but requires slightly more visual focus.                            |
| 8    | **Rose Pine**      | PASS    | Pink text on dark purple (0.42 opacity). Aesthetically contemporary. Color choice creates subtle vibrancy but pink + green status glyph introduce slight hue collision—not harmonious. Legible but visually busy.                                                 |
| 9    | **Dracula**        | PASS    | Purple text on dark gray (0.45 opacity). Stylish palette but purple text itself reduces contrast against dark background compared to light-on-dark norms. Status indicators (green) stand out somewhat disjointedly. Working but suboptimal for rapid scans.      |
| 10   | **Soft Glass**     | CAUTION | White text on black, ultra-translucent (0.18 opacity). Desktop integration is seamless—but text becomes faint when other windows overlap or on complex backgrounds. Fragile legibility. Requires quiet desktop environment to function; risky for active trading. |

---

## Key Findings

**Tier 1 (Best-in-Class)**: High Contrast, Terminal, Amber CRT

- Maximum readability with minimal eye fatigue
- Appropriate opacity: visible without dominance
- Status indicators and bars integrate cleanly

**Tier 2 (Solid Performers)**: Solarized Dark, Green Phosphor, Gruvbox

- Minor legibility trade-offs for aesthetic appeal
- Acceptable for standard desktop environments
- Require slightly higher attention during glances

**Tier 3 (Niche Use-Cases)**: Nord, Rose Pine, Dracula

- Contemporary design appeal at cost of contrast
- Color harmony weaker when glyphs introduced
- Best suited for dedicated secondary monitor setups

**Outlier (Not Recommended)**: Soft Glass

- Extreme translucency undermines core function
- Fails in real-world multi-window scenarios
- Better as a curiosity than production choice

---

## Verdict

**PASS** — All themes render correctly and are usable. However, **strong recommendation to set High Contrast or Amber CRT as default** for trading use-case, given the need for rapid, reliable at-a-glance reads during high-velocity market sessions. Terminal and Green Phosphor are excellent secondary choices for users with strong desktop discipline (clean desktop, single-monitor focus).

**Severity**: Informational. No rendering bugs or accessibility violations detected.
