Understanding how to simulate color blindness in design transforms accessibility from a checkbox into a natural part of your creative process. This guide covers the complete workflow—from early color selection through final QA—with specific tools and techniques for each stage.
When to Simulate: Building Accessibility Into Your Workflow
The best time to simulate color blindness in design isn't at the end—it's at every stage. Here's how to integrate accessibility testing naturally:
During Color Selection
Before you finalize your palette, run potential colors through a simulator. It's much easier to adjust now than to redesign later.
During Component Design
Test buttons, forms, navigation, and status indicators as you design them. Problems caught here don't propagate across the project.
During Development
Test the actual implemented interface, not just mockups. CSS and rendering can shift colors from design specs.
Before Launch
Final comprehensive check of all pages and states. Document any known issues and their mitigations.
Method 1: Design Tool Plugins
The most efficient way to simulate color blindness in design is directly within your design tool. No context switching, no exports, instant feedback.
Figma
Recommended Plugins
- Stark — Full accessibility suite with simulation, contrast checking, and vision tools. Industry standard.
- Color Blind — Focused, lightweight plugin for quick CVD simulation. Free and fast.
- Able – Friction Free Accessibility — Combines contrast checking with simulation in one tool.
Sketch
Recommended Plugins
- Stark for Sketch — Same comprehensive toolset as the Figma version.
- Color Contrast Analyser — Focus on WCAG compliance with simulation preview.
Adobe XD & Illustrator
Adobe Creative Cloud includes built-in color blindness simulation through the View menu in many applications. Look for "Proof Setup" or "Color Blindness" options. For more comprehensive testing, export designs and use web-based tools.
Method 2: Web-Based Simulators
When you need more accurate simulation or want to test actual websites and images, web-based tools offer the most comprehensive results.
For Images and Screenshots
Our Color Blindness Simulator processes uploaded images through scientifically accurate algorithms, showing exactly how your designs appear across all major CVD types:
- Protanopia: Red cone deficiency
- Deuteranopia: Green cone deficiency
- Tritanopia: Blue cone deficiency
- Achromatopsia: Complete color blindness
For Live Websites
The Color Blind Website Checker captures your actual deployed website and applies simulation—showing you exactly what users see in the real environment with all CSS, images, and dynamic content.
Method 3: Operating System Settings
Both macOS and Windows include built-in color filters that transform your entire display. Useful for quick checks, though less convenient than targeted tools.
macOS
- 1. System Preferences → Accessibility
- 2. Display → Color Filters
- 3. Select deuteranopia, protanopia, or grayscale
Tip: Set up a keyboard shortcut for quick toggling.
Windows
- 1. Settings → Ease of Access
- 2. Color filters
- 3. Select red-green or blue-yellow filter
Tip: Win+Ctrl+C toggles filters on/off instantly.
What to Look For During Simulation
Knowing how to simulate color blindness in design is only half the battle. You also need to know what problems to look for:
Key Issues to Identify
- →Merged colors: Elements that become indistinguishable from each other or their backgrounds
- →Lost meaning: Color-coded information (status, categories) that becomes ambiguous
- →Hidden elements: Links, buttons, or icons that disappear or become unclear
- →Confusing states: Active/inactive, enabled/disabled states that look identical
A Complete Simulation Workflow Example
Here's how to simulate color blindness in design for a typical web project:
- Test your color palette first: Before designing anything, run your proposed colors through the Palette Generator to verify they're distinguishable.
- Simulate during design: Use Figma plugins to check components as you build them. Fix issues immediately.
- Test implemented pages: Once development begins, run actual pages through the Website Checker to catch any CSS or rendering differences.
- Check all CVD types: Test protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia, and achromatopsia. Each reveals different issues.
- Document findings: Create tickets for any issues found, prioritized by severity and frequency.
Start Simulating Your Designs
Upload a design or test your live website to see exactly how it appears to color blind users.