Did You See My Red Ball?
How well do you see color? Interesting question, isn’t it? Do you know? Check out the X-Rite Color Challenge and find out. It’s a quick test and will probably take all of a few minutes to do. Just make sure it’s not dark when you’re trying to take it!!
… So how’d you do? I took it and scored a zero – yes, a zero. For the first time I can remember, a flat zero is a perfect score! I knew I could see color but it also revealed something else to me – why I can find color so distracting. I think it’s because I see all the hues. In photography, my favorite photographs are always black and white because I believe it reveals what’s really going on in the photo. Colors can be distracting and take away from the message – at least for me. Too much is not always a good thing.
So how does color impact universal design? Let’s think about websites. For someone like me, if there’s too much color, it can seem overwhelming and maybe the message will get lost. Maybe I won’t find that one thing I’m looking for on that webpage because there’s too many distractions. For example, consider this unrelated subject but perfect illustration of what I’m saying – my dog wants a cookie treat but he really likes that red ball. So he’s chewing on the red ball when I pick up a cookie. Hmmmm, now he wants the cookie but he’s not ready to give up his red ball until I have two cookies and pretend to eat one. This is too much!! He runs towards me with the ball still in his mouth, not ready to give it up until I give up mine. Cookies at his level, his mouth opens, red ball drops out and cookies get snatched up. Oh yes, he grabs the red ball as well once the cookies are securely in his jaws and runs off with all of his treasures. Easily distracted but still with ulterior motives – my dog. Now where was I?
Oh yeah, distractions. For some people, simple website designs can be so appealing because it’s easy to find what you’re looking for and you don’t get distracted by those red balls. But maybe that was the plan…
On the other hand, for those who have difficulties distinguishing certain colors, the webpage should be designed so things can be accessed in several (or more) ways. I think about page links as an example. Sometimes they’re like tabs in a row at the top of the page – easy to see and almost always there like a warm blanket and a good book (hardcover or ebook – both work!). They also might be accessed via colorful icons racing across the page or maybe colorful pictures on a sidebar. If someone can’t see some colors but can see other hues, one of those methods/colors will probably stand out.
Keep color in mind when putting together your designs. Know your intended audience but if you’re trying to get universal engagement, find ways to attract everyone. That’s the key, isn’t it? Grab your coloring book and start coloring away!!!
