Colorblindness runs in my family. Even one of my female cousins has it. I’m sensitized to it especially because I seem to have a touch of it. I sometimes can’t tell green from blue. Or I swear something is blue when everyone seems to think it’s green — remember those curtains in the dining room?!
Ways to avoid confusing colorblind people with your visual design:
- Use another “redundant” signifier.” Not just color – but color and underline to show something is a link, for example.
- Create good contrast between lettering and the background is essential for colorblind people, and for aging eyes. This can be checked with online color analyzers.
User researchers like me can help point out when the contrast or colors you’ve picked for your site are apt to confuse colorblind people.
If you’re interested in the topic, this presentation from another UX designer talks about the basics.