Colour Vision Lab

Ishihara Colour Vision Test: Identify the number

Hi everyone! Here are some of the results from our study on “Color Vision Deficiencies in the Digital Age: A Survey of User Experiences.” This study focused on the impact that red-green color vision deficiencies have on an individual’s interaction with digital displays in different areas of their daily life, such as “school,” “work/volunteering,” “gaming and eSports,” “driving/motorized vehicle,” and “traveling.”

Nearly 400 individuals from Canada and the USA with a color vision defect completed the online survey. Nearly 100% reported some difficulty with at least one of the color-related display tasks in most areas of life. The exception was traveling, where 54.1% reported problems with interpreted colors on digital displays. For most tasks, there were no significant differences in the difficulty rankings based on s*x and/or age group. However, there were some significant differences based on severity, primarily between individuals with mild defects and those with more severe defects. For example, individuals with severe color vision defects ranked interpreting color-coded diagrams, editing photos or other colored images, and reading colored letters on various backgrounds as being more difficult than individuals with a mild color vision defect.

Nearly 65% of respondents reported making changes or implementing modifications to their displays in an attempt to help interpret/use the color information, but there were 35% who did not. The most popular modification was “trial-and-error adjustments” of the color and brightness of the display. Of the individuals who tried an aid, approximately 90% of those who made this modification reported it to be at least a little effective, and 25% rated a modification as highly effective.

This study showed that nearly all individuals with a color vision deficiency encounter problems in interpreting color information on digital displays. Although most respondents have tried some modifications to their displays, only a minority found them to be highly effective. Software and hardware developers need to focus on making aids more accommodating and customizable to individual preferences to provide a more optimal experience to their users.