Evaluation of the accessibility application Color Blind Pal

Abstract

Color blindness, a condition altering the color vision of significant population portion worldwide, impacts those affected significantly. With colors playing an integral part in many areas of life, health, safety, and career of those affected may be impacted. While color blindness is a well-documented condition and many assistive technologies exist, there remains no cure and little research on the implications of assistive technologies for individuals with color blindness. Color Blind Pal, one such assistive technology, aims to identify colors from live camera feeds and photos for the target group users.

This work aims to explore the color identification strategies of people with color blindness in relation to Color Blind Pal and to evaluate the real-life potential and performance accuracy of Color Blind Pal. The aim is achieved through a two-part survey-based study in which the experiences of individuals with color blindness and color identification evaluations of individuals with typical color vision are collected and analyzed.

The key results of this work indicate there are significant drawbacks in Color Blind Pal’s performance accuracy in color identification. In addition, the color identification acceptance behavior of the individuals with typical color vision is highlighted with a focus in correct base color identification. In relation to color identification strategies of individuals with color blindness, it is suggested that many in the target group do not know of the existence of color identification applications.