I'd agree with you: judicious and consistent use of color should give better HCI performance than the colorless method, for the majority of people.
But it's very visual and aesthetic, and maybe it's best considered a user preference, which is why the tongue-in-cheek rationale, when I mentioned the option.
Thanks. HCI (and human factors engineering) were the original areas of study concerned with these questions. UX, which is more popular at the moment, seems to have more emphasis on visual appeal and marketing psychology, rather than on effectiveness for the user's goals. You could see "dark patterns" as an extreme of this shift in intent.
But it's very visual and aesthetic, and maybe it's best considered a user preference, which is why the tongue-in-cheek rationale, when I mentioned the option.