Color is a very important and powerful tool for web designers. It can help you show mood, emotion, or highlight a call-to-action. The list goes on and on. But, did you ever stop to think what it may be like to those out there who are colorblind?
Ensuring that your website design is accessible to those users out there who are colorblind is a simple task that many web designers may overlook. According to most research over 7% of men in the United States (that is roughly 10 million men) are colorblind. That is a big share of the market!
Adobe Photoshop has a tool built-in that helps you to see images as if you were colorblind. This helps you to make any necessary adjustments. You can access the tool at View > Proof Setup > Color Blindness (there are two types to choose from).
To give you an example of how this works, take a look at CNN both with and without the colorblind "filter" applied.
Here is a quick look at how a colorblind test works. The circle on the left is how it appears to a non-colorblind person. The circle on the right depicts what it may look like to someone who is colorblind. Notice how mixing red and green can be a real problem to colorblind users. Web designers need to pay special attention to this color combination in particular.
If you are wondering why you should take the extra time to look at this feature and use this tool to help your site become more accessible, you should watch the award winning video below entitled, "No Such Thing as Color" by Laura Evans. It really gives you a good idea of what people who are colorblind go through on a daily basis.
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Comments
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 9:02 AM
I'm shocked that I found this info so eailsy.
Thursday, November 17, 2011 8:41 AM
Thank you for the information. Nice article. I found the video very interesting.
Thursday, February 16, 2012 8:43 PM
Thank you for the excellent article 。 My husband and I were very impressed with all the issues that she addressed. They will be a big help to us, not to mention to the many families that are now and in the years ahead that will be caring for their parents and/or aging family members! Great job, Kathryn! It's a "keeper"!
Most Sincerely, Mr & Mrs Kloth
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