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Accessible Word (implementation guide)

1. General

1.3. Colours for conveying information

If colours are used to convey information (e.g. in diagrams or to mark text), labels, symbols or patterns convey the same information.

What is meant by this?

It is recommended that information is not only represented by colours, but also by labels, symbols or patterns. This means, for example, that colour AND pattern should be used in a diagram to represent a bar. For example, buttons in the colours green and red are also described with "yes" and "no". This creates opportunities for the information to be better perceived visually.

Why is it important?

If information is presented exclusively through colours, recipients who do not perceive all colours clearly may have difficulty understanding this information. There is a risk that information that is only conveyed via colours will be lost on such groups of people. For example, recipients with colour vision deficiency have difficulties perceiving certain colours or contrasts. Colours with the same saturation can prevent full perception of what is shown and result in not all information being absorbed. Grey contrasts should also only be used to a limited extent, as recipients with colour vision problems may have difficulty recognising certain shades of grey or differences in brightness.

Through the additional use of labels, symbols or patterns, information can be presented in several ways to ensure that it is also accessible to groups of people who work independently of the colour display, are distracted by bright colours or perceive stimuli very strongly.

How can I implement/check it?

For example, to add a pattern to a diagram in Word, you can proceed as follows:

  1. Click on the diagram to select it.
  2. Click on "Diagram tools" and then on "Design" or, if you are using a Mac, on "Diagram design" in the menu bar.
  3. Click on "Select data" and select the data points to be labelled.
  4. Click on "Format" and select "Format data series". Depending on the version you are using, Excel will then open if it is a chart from Excel.
  5. Select the "Pattern" option under "Filling" and choose a desired pattern.
  6. Click on "Border colour" and select a colour for the border of the pattern.
  7. Select "Border thickness" and adjust the width of the border.
  8. Click on "Close" to close the dialogue box and save your changes.

You should also add a label to each diagram in Word and proceed as follows:

  1. Click on the diagram to select it.
  2. Click on "Diagram tools" and then on "Layout" in the menu bar if you are using Windows. If you are using a Mac, this point is skipped.
  3. Click on "Add diagram element" and select "Axis labelling".
  4. Select either "Primary axis horizontal" or "Primary axis vertical", depending on which axis you want to label.
  5. Select "Axis labelling" and enter the desired text.
  6. Click on "Format" and adjust the font, font size and colour of the label.
  7. Repeat steps 3-6 if you want to add a label for the other axis.

Alternatively, you can also add a title bar or legend to label diagrams.

Diagrams and other representations should be viewed in different ways to check accessibility, for example by hiding colours or changing the brightness to ensure that the information is easy to understand regardless of colour. There are various ways to do this.

Print the respective page in greyscale to get an idea of how your displays look without colours. In addition, you can set the brightness of your end device from "very high" to "very low" and check whether the information is still accessible.