Color Design Mistakes Driving Away 8% of Your Users

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Color plays a crucial role in web design, but when implemented without thought to accessibility, it can exclude a significant portion of your audience. About 8% of men and 0.5% of women worldwide experience some form of color vision deficiency-that’s roughly 300 million people globally who might struggle with your website’s color schemes. By making a few thoughtful adjustments to your color design approach, you can create websites that work for everyone while maintaining visual appeal. This article identifies the most common color accessibility mistakes and provides practical fixes to ensure your website welcomes all users, regardless of how they perceive color.

Understanding Color Perception Diversity

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Before diving into specific mistakes and solutions, it’s worth understanding how color perception varies across the population and why this matters for your website design.

Types of Color Vision Deficiencies

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Color vision deficiencies (often called color blindness) come in several forms, each affecting how people see certain colors:

Red-green color vision deficiencies are the most common type and include several variations:

• Deuteranomaly: Makes greens appear more red-this is the most common type and usually mild
• Protanomaly: Makes reds look more green and less bright
• Protanopia and deuteranopia: Make someone unable to tell the difference between red and green at all

Blue-yellow color vision deficiencies are less common but still affect many people:

• Tritanomaly: Makes it hard to distinguish between blue and green, and between yellow and red
• Tritanopia: Makes someone unable to tell the difference between blue and green, purple and red, and yellow and pink

Complete color vision deficiency (monochromacy or achromatopsia) is rare but prevents people from seeing any colors at all.

Demographics and Impact on Your Audience

The statistics around color vision deficiencies reveal why this issue deserves attention:

• Color blindness affects approximately 1 in 12 men (8%) and 1 in 200 women (0.5%) worldwide
• In the UK alone, about 3 million people have color blindness-roughly 4.5% of the population
• The prevalence varies somewhat by ethnicity, with slightly lower rates (4-6.5%) among men of Chinese and Japanese ethnicity compared to European men
• Most cases of color blindness are genetic and inherited, though some people develop it due to aging, medications, or conditions like diabetes and multiple sclerosis

When your website relies heavily on color to convey information, you risk confusing or excluding these users. At worst, they might leave your site frustrated and unable to complete tasks. At best, they’ll have a harder time than necessary-neither outcome benefits you or your users.

Common Color Accessibility Mistakes

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Now that we understand the diversity of color perception, let’s look at the three most common mistakes websites make with color accessibility.

Mistake #1 | Relying Solely on Color to Convey Information

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One of the most frequent accessibility errors is using color as the only way to communicate important information. This approach immediately creates barriers for users with color vision deficiencies.

Identifying Information-Carrying Colors

Take a moment to check your website for these common issues:

• Form fields that show errors using only red text or borders
• Charts and graphs that distinguish data using only color differences
• Links that are identified only by color (without underlines)
• Status indicators that rely solely on color (like red/yellow/green status lights)
• Required form fields marked only with a colored asterisk or text

When color alone carries this information, users with color vision deficiencies might miss critical cues, leading to confusion and mistakes.

Adding Non-Color Indicators

The fix is straightforward: always pair color with at least one other visual cue. For example:

• Add icons, patterns, or text labels alongside color coding
• Use both colors and shapes in charts and graphs
• Underline links or add an icon beside them
• Add text labels to status indicators
• Use both color and symbols (like asterisks) for required fields, along with descriptive text

These additional indicators ensure that everyone receives the same information, regardless of how they perceive color.

Mistake #2 | Poor Contrast Ratios

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Insufficient contrast between text and background colors creates readability problems for many users, particularly those with low vision or color vision deficiencies.

Understanding WCAG Contrast Requirements

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) provide specific contrast ratios to ensure readable text:

• Normal text requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 between the text and background
• Large text (14 point bold or 18 point regular and larger) needs a minimum ratio of 3:1
• User interface components and graphical objects that convey information also need a minimum ratio of 3:1

Meeting these minimum requirements helps ensure your content remains readable across a wide range of vision capabilities.

Common Contrast Failures

Watch out for these frequent contrast issues:

• Light gray text on white backgrounds
• White text on light colored backgrounds
• Text over image backgrounds without proper overlay
• Low contrast hover states that don’t clearly indicate interactivity
• Placeholder text in form fields with insufficient contrast
• Secondary or “muted” text that falls below contrast requirements

Each of these examples creates unnecessary barriers to reading and understanding your content.

Mistake #3 | Problematic Color Combinations

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Certain color combinations pose particular challenges for people with color vision deficiencies, regardless of contrast ratio.

Red-Green Issues

Red-green color blindness affects the largest percentage of people with color vision deficiencies. When you use red and green:

• About 8% of men cannot distinguish between these colors
• Items colored red might look identical to those colored green
• Traffic-light style indicators (red/yellow/green) become confusing
• Error messages in red might blend with surrounding green elements

One study participant with color blindness described his experience: “When websites use red and green to show different states like success and error, I can’t tell which is which. I have to guess based on context.”

Blue-Yellow Challenges

Though less common than red-green issues, blue-yellow color vision deficiencies still affect many users:

• Blue and green might appear indistinguishable
• Purple and red might look the same
• Yellow and pink can be confused
• Blue text on a black background can be especially problematic

Low Luminance Problems

Even when colors are technically different hues, if they have similar brightness or luminance values, they can be difficult to distinguish:

• Dark blue text on a black background
• Dark green and dark red
• Multiple pastel colors used together
• Yellow text on a white background

These combinations create problems even for people with normal color vision under certain circumstances, like poor lighting or screen glare.

Complete Color Accessibility Fix Guide

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Now that we’ve identified the problems, let’s look at specific fixes you can implement today.

Fix #1 | Implementing Sufficient Color Contrast

Good color contrast benefits everyone, not just users with vision impairments.

Tools for Measuring Contrast

Several free tools make contrast checking easy:

• WebAIM Contrast Checker: A simple tool where you can enter foreground and background colors to check if they meet WCAG standards
• Color Contrast Analyzer: A downloadable tool that allows you to pick colors directly from your screen
• Browser developer tools: Many modern browsers have built-in contrast checkers in their accessibility inspection tools

Using these tools during the design phase saves time by identifying problems before implementation.

Design System Updates

To prevent contrast issues from recurring:

1. Create a color palette with pre-checked contrast ratios
2. Document minimum contrast requirements in your style guide
3. Establish a process for testing contrast during design reviews
4. Define specific text/background color combinations that are approved for use
5. Avoid using light gray text (a common culprit in contrast failures)

When one client updated their design system with accessible color combinations, they saw a 12% increase in form completion rates across all users-proving that accessibility improvements often benefit everyone.

Fix #2 | Adding Texture, Patterns and Icons

When color alone isn’t enough, these alternative visual cues ensure information is available to everyone.

Design Patterns for Color Independence

Consider these proven approaches:

• Line patterns: Use solid, dashed, dotted, or other line patterns in charts and graphs
• Fill patterns: Incorporate hatching, dots, or other fill patterns to distinguish areas
• Iconography: Add meaningful icons alongside color-coded status indicators
• Labels: Directly label elements rather than relying on a color key
• Shapes: Use different shapes in addition to colors for data points in charts

A medical website found that adding icons alongside their color-coded appointment status indicators reduced patient confusion by 28%, showing the value of this approach extends beyond just accessibility.

Implementation Guidelines

When implementing these patterns:

1. Keep patterns simple and distinctly different from each other
2. Ensure pattern elements are large enough to be visible
3. Test patterns in black and white to verify they’re distinguishable without color
4. Use both patterns and colors together-don’t replace color entirely
5. Maintain sufficient contrast between pattern elements and backgrounds

Remember that the goal is to make the information perceivable through multiple means, not to eliminate color altogether.

Fix #3 | Creating an Accessible Color Palette

A thoughtfully designed color palette can prevent many accessibility issues from the start.

Color Selection Methodology

Follow these steps to build an accessible color palette:

1. Start with your primary brand colors
2. Check if these colors meet contrast requirements against white and black backgrounds
3. If not, adjust the lightness/darkness while keeping the hue similar
4. Create darker and lighter variants of each color that meet contrast requirements
5. Identify problematic color combinations (particularly red-green) and plan alternatives
6. Select a set of neutrals (grays) with sufficient contrast steps between them

A thoughtful color palette gives designers the tools they need to create accessible designs while maintaining brand consistency.

Testing Your Color System

Once you’ve created your palette, test it to ensure it works for everyone:

1. Use color blindness simulators to check how your palette appears to people with different types of color vision deficiencies
2. Verify that important information is still distinguishable when viewed through these simulators
3. Check contrast ratios for all text/background combinations
4. Test your color system with actual users who have color vision deficiencies
5. Review your color combinations in both dark and light modes

A university website that implemented this testing approach found that student engagement with important notices increased by 17% after they revised their color system.

Testing Your Color Accessibility

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Regular testing helps catch color accessibility issues before they affect users.

Automated Testing Tools

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Several tools can help identify potential color accessibility issues:

• Wave: A free browser extension that highlights contrast issues and other accessibility problems
• Axe: A powerful testing tool that can be integrated into development workflows
• Lighthouse: Built into Chrome’s developer tools, it includes contrast checking in its accessibility audit
• Color contrast analyzers: Tools specifically designed to check text and background color combinations

While automated tools are valuable, they can’t catch everything-which is why manual testing is also important.

Manual Testing Techniques

Complement automated testing with these hands-on approaches:

1. Grayscale test: View your website in grayscale (most operating systems have a setting for this) to see if information is still clear without color
2. Squint test: Squint while looking at your design to blur details-can you still make out the important elements?
3. Distance test: View your design from a distance to see if key information stands out
4. Different devices: Check your colors on multiple screens, as colors can render differently
5. Print test: Print pages in black and white to verify information isn’t lost

One developer shared: “After implementing regular grayscale testing in our design process, we caught three major accessibility issues that would have confused users with color blindness. It’s now a standard part of our review process.”

Color Blindness Simulators

These tools show you how your website appears to people with different types of color vision deficiencies:

• Coblis Color Blindness Simulator: Allows you to upload images and see how they appear to people with various types of color blindness
• Colblindor: A tool that lets you upload images and view them as people with various types of color blindness would see them
• Color Vision: A simulator that helps you understand how different colors appear to people with different types of color blindness
• Browser extensions: Several browsers offer extensions that simulate color blindness on any webpage

Seeing your website through these different perspectives often reveals issues that weren’t obvious before.

Making Accessibility Part of Your Design Process

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The most sustainable approach to color accessibility is integrating it into your regular design process rather than treating it as an afterthought.

Educating Your Team

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Start by ensuring everyone understands the importance of color accessibility:

1. Share key statistics about color blindness and its impact
2. Demonstrate how inaccessible color choices create barriers
3. Show examples of designs before and after accessibility improvements
4. Highlight how accessible design often improves usability for everyone

When teams understand the “why” behind accessibility requirements, they’re more likely to implement them consistently.

Creating Accessibility Checkpoints

Build accessibility checks into your existing workflow:

1. Add color contrast verification to your design review process
2. Include color blindness simulation in QA testing
3. Review designs in grayscale during team critiques
4. Test prototypes with users who have color vision deficiencies
5. Run automated accessibility tests before launching new features

These checkpoints catch issues early when they’re easier and less expensive to fix.

Prioritizing Fixes for Existing Sites

If you’re working with an existing website, focus your efforts where they’ll have the most impact:

1. Fix color contrast issues in primary content first
2. Address color-only information in error messages and form validation
3. Improve color accessibility in navigation elements
4. Update charts, graphs, and data visualizations
5. Revise status indicators and system messages

Even incremental improvements make a difference to users, so don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Using Automated Tools for Quick Insights (Accessibility-Test.org Scanner)

Automated testing tools provide a fast way to identify many common accessibility issues. They can quickly scan your website and point out problems that might be difficult for people with disabilities to overcome.

Visit Our Tools Comparison Page!

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Run a FREE scan to check compliance and get recommendations to reduce risks of lawsuits

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Final Thoughts

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Color accessibility isn’t just about compliance-it’s about creating websites that work for everyone. When you fix the common color design mistakes we’ve discussed, you open your website to the 8% of men and 0.5% of women with color vision deficiencies, while often improving the experience for all users.

Remember:

• Don’t rely solely on color to convey information
• Ensure sufficient contrast between text and backgrounds
• Avoid problematic color combinations, especially red-green
• Use textures, patterns, and icons to supplement color
• Test your designs with color blindness simulators

Want to see how your website performs? Try running it through a color blindness simulator today, or check your text contrast with the WebAIM Contrast Checker. You might be surprised by what you find-and by how small changes can make your site more accessible to everyone.

Want More Help?

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Try our free website accessibility scanner to identify heading structure issues and other accessibility problems on your site. Our tool provides clear recommendations for fixes that can be implemented quickly.

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