Colours, signs, conventions and colour-blindness

Abstract

In this research, we deal with the design criteria of perception and colour for colour-blind people because they are users like us who, sometimes rightly, but often wrongly, are considered unable to participate in certain work activities or, even worse, people who stand in the way or are even dangerous because of their visual characteristic, penalised from a chromatic point of view. Talking to them and following our own professional experiences, we realised the limitations of the interfaces (graphics, signs and colours to indicate a path) and how much study and corrective work still needs to be done. The design criteria that underpin the orientation signage of many institutions are too often approximate, personalistic and ineffective for any user who has not already had some navigation practice in that same institution; which inevitably leads him or her to no longer feel the need for it. Starting from the orientation and reading needs of colour-blind people, we present an applied research project to improve orientation signage systems also for the benefit of trichromatic users. The inadequacy of the use of colours if not appropriately contextualised and supported by different forms and graphic signs is demonstrated, thus stimulating new attention and professionalism to make all structured social service systems more efficient.