Design for All

BY DEBORAH PADDISON

In the Eye of the Beholder

Color Universal Design

Imagine what it must be like to suddenly realize that all your life you haven't been seeing the world the same way everyone else has, or when someone points out the subtle color variations in a lovely sunset you simply have to take their word for it.

That's colorblindness, today commonly called color vision deficiency. Did you know that it's not a single condition, but a group of conditions affecting the way people see color? They cause a range of changes, from mild difficulty distinguishing shades to a total inability to detect color. They are divided into three categories: red-green defects, blue-yellow defects, and a complete absence of color vision (achromatopsia).

According to the American Optometric Association, color vision deficiency occurs when the color-sensitive cone cells in the eyes do not properly pick up or send the proper color signals to the brain. A significant number of men are affected—about 1 in 12 Caucasian men have some form of color vision deficiency—but only very few women. Red-green defects, the inability to distinguish certain shades of red and green, are by far the most common. Those with a less common type have difficulty distinguishing blue and yellow. People with achromatopsia can detect only shades of black, white and gray. For example, red may be perceived as dark gray, while yellow would be a light gray. (Thankfully this is very rare, affecting about 1 in 30,000 people.)

Color Goes Barrier-Free

Compared to complete blindness and medical conditions causing low vision (glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, cataracts, etc.), the extent to which color vision deficiency could be considered a disability is debatable. Nearly all people with a color vision deficiency easily adapt and learn shortcuts for identifying colors—for example, on a traffic signal the red light is at the top and the green light is at the bottom (assuming you can tell which one is lit). But certain color combinations may become invisible or indecipherable. This can have severe consequences in certain situations, especially when it comes to signage and wayfinding.

Given the prominent role that color, contrast and pattern play in design aesthetics, it's helpful to bear color vision deficiency in mind when selecting colors for any project, ranging from restaurant wall colors and exhibit signage to Web sites or carpet in school classrooms.

To that end, a new movement in the field of universal design is focusing on the way people relate to colors in the environment. The Color Universal Design Organization (www.cudo.jp), based in Tokyo, Japan, has come out with a Color Universal Design Handbook. It explains the idea of color universal design and offers tips on how designers can use color to create well-organized, easy-to-see designs for people with unimpaired color vision as well as those with color vision deficiency.

Here are their three guiding principles for "color barrier-free" design:

1. Choose color schemes that can be easily identified by people with all types of color vision, taking into account the actual lighting conditions and usage environment.

2. Use not only different colors, but also a combination of different shapes, positions, line types and coloring patterns, to ensure that information is conveyed to all users including those who cannot distinguish differences in color.

3. Clearly state color names where users are expected to use color names in communication.

Color and the Aging Eye

In addition to color-vision deficiency, the aging eye also presents some difficulty when it comes to perceiving color. As people age, physical changes in the eye affect how we focus and see colors; proper color usage by the designer can positively affect how an aging person interacts with his or her living space and can promote independent living.

"Our ability to see colors gradually deteriorates as a part of aging," says color consultant Rebecca Bushner, North American president of the International Association of Color Consultants/Designers and owner of Unlimited Color in Tucson, Arizona. "The lens in your eye begins to yellow, and eventually you lose the ability to distinguish colors such as blue, green and blue-green."

Bushner, who provides color consultation for residential and commercial interiors as well as Web-based graphic design, notes that on a functional level, color and contrast provide cues that guide a person from one space to another or that separate one functional space from another, such as a counter from the cooktop; of course, on a psychological level color can make a difference in how a person feels in a space, whether it's a bedroom, a meeting room, a lobby or a restaurant.

She cites the popular 1980s color scheme of hunter green and mauve she once saw in a retirement facility as an example of choosing colors according to trend rather than for function and enjoyment of the residents. "The aging eye sometimes sees dark colors, like hunter green, as black—not exactly an inspirational color for your living environment," she says.

Color, design and architecture go hand in hand to create form, function, perception, motivation and emotion. When it's applied in an educated way, color creates appealing, supportive environments that can have positive psychological effects. While they can't repaint a sunset, designers can help ensure that people with color vision deficiencies are able to enjoy the colors in the built environment.

Double vision: An apple and the colors of the rainbow, as seen by someone with (top) unimpaired color vision and (bottom) red-green color vision deficiency. Apple image by Shane Wilson, with color simulation performed at www.vischeck.com.

An Eye Opener

When you have a free moment or two, check out Vischeck at www.vischeck.com/vischeck/vischeckURL.php. Type in www.google.com to see the Google home page the way it would be viewed by a person with colorvision deficiency, or type the address for any Web site you like.