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Colors play a much bigger role in design than just an aesthetic one - they also have functions and convey important information. However, not all people can perceive colors equally. Users with visual impairments or color vision deficiencies require thoughtful color design in order to fully and accessibly use digital content.
What are the exact functions of colors and how can they be designed to be accessible?
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Functions of Colors
Colors not only have an aesthetic function, but they also serve as carriers of information and perform several important functions. We have listed the key points for you here:
01/ Structure and visual hierarchy
With colors, information is organized and areas are delineated. Frames and boxes provide structure to the content and give users an overview. This directs the users' attention and highlights important elements.
02/ Conveying information
Colors convey meanings. For example, red is associated with errors, canceling, or ending, while green represents success and confirmation. Furthermore, Different colors can be used to differentiate between states or categories.
03/ Conveying emotions
Colors are strongly associated with emotions - both positively and negatively. Yellow can represent optimism and creativity, but also naivety or stinginess. Green often symbolizes hope and luck, but is also associated with greed and envy.
04/ Brand identity
The color of your brand is a strong distinguishing feature and significantly shapes your brand identity. For example, when you think of Coca-Cola, the color red immediately comes to mind. When you think of a delicious bar of Milka chocolate, you can picture the purple packaging right away.
In short: Colors are not just "decorations" in design., but significantly shape comprehensibility, usability, and the emotional user experience.
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Requirements of the EAA
The aim of the European Accessibility Act is to make digital products and services accessible to everyone. Therefore, when designing with accessible colors, you must pay attention to the following requirements:
01/ Minimum contrast ratio
Text and controls must have sufficient contrast to the background so that they are easily readable by people with visual impairments.
02/ Color as the only source of information
Information must not be conveyed solely through colors. Additional symbols, patterns, or texts are necessary to make content readable and accessible for visually impaired individuals.
03/ Alternative forms of representation
The design should support alternative representations, for example through clear contours and sufficient color contrasts, in order to remain usable even when high-contrast settings are activated.
Common Mistakes in Using Colors
Here we have summarized the most common mistakes in color design to give you a brief overview:
Use of colors as the sole source of information:
For example, error messages are only indicated by a red color of the text.Insufficient contrast values:
A too low color contrast between text and background makes reading difficult, especially for visually impaired users.Lack of support for high-contrast modes:
Users are restricted in their freedom to customize the content according to their needs.Unconsidered choice of color:
Especially users with color vision deficiencies are affected by the poor readability, but also in direct sunlight on the display, low contrasts make readability difficult.
These shortcomings create barriers and make access to content more difficult for many users.
Designing an accessible color palette
In our Design Accessibility Audits, we conduct a color analysis of your color palette to determine which color combinations are accessible and whether your palette needs to be adjusted to comply with the EAA guidelines.
To do this, we create a color matrix and test the contrast ratio of all color combinations. We pay attention to the threshold values according to WCAG 2.0 AA guidelines. For body text, a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 is required according to WCAG, and for large text, a contrast of 3:1 is needed.
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But not only the color analysis is part of the Design Accessibility Audit. We also check your branding and your Print materials for accessibility. As a result, you will receive a report from us with an overview of design and accessibility issues and our proposed adjustments for your design elements.
With the advertising campaign EAA Audit for accessibility.
With our EAA Audits, we support you in making your design, website, and other digital products accessible. Accessibility is important for everyone. An early analysis and implementation of the requirements is crucial to avoid sanctions and improve accessibility for all users at the same time.
We unlock your full potential with accessibility. Ready?
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