Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: common meal software demo

[Kay Argyle (kay.argyle]

> That is great feedback re the color blind issue! I hadn't thought of it at
> all.

Estimates of color deficiency, usually red and/or green, range from 5 to 12
percent of males of European decent.  It appears to be less common in men of
other ancestry, and is very uncommon in women.  

Most learn to fudge - they recognize the shades they have trouble with, and
use other cues if possible.  My Dad once mentioned to a sister-in-law having
run a red light on his way to visit, and she immediately knew exactly what
town - the light was upside down, red on the bottom, green on top, and Uncle
Dave had also gone through it.

I found a website about color deficiency which touched on web design, 

"Since color-deficient is common, it is important to design web pages
appropriate. The simple rule is to make backgrounds light and text dark If
text is red, it may appear black, which is ok...unless the background is
also black."
http://members.shaw.ca/hidden-talents/vision/color/colorblind1.html

A strong contrast in color value (dark on light or light on dark) will help
with other vision problems as well, such as retinopathy (a different family
member's problem).

Kay