About 8% of your male users have some form of color vision deficiency. If you're designing in Figma and not testing for it, you're shipping inaccessible interfaces to roughly 1 in 12 men. The good news? It takes less than a minute to check.
There are three ways to simulate color blindness for your Figma designs, each with different tradeoffs. We've used all three in production workflows and here's what actually works.
Why You Need to Test for Color Blindness
Red-green color blindness affects about 300 million people globally. If your design relies on color alone to communicate state — green for success, red for errors, orange for warnings — a significant chunk of your users can't tell these apart. The most common issues we see:
- Status indicators that only use color (green dot = online, red dot = offline)
- Form validation where error state is just a red border
- Charts and graphs with 5+ colors that collapse under deuteranopia
- Buttons where primary vs. destructive is only distinguished by hue
- Links that blend into body text without underlines
The fix is always the same: pair color with a second visual cue — an icon, a label, a pattern, or an underline. But first, you need to see the problem. That's where simulation comes in. Check out our guide on types of color blindness to understand what you're testing for.
3 Methods Compared
| Method | Difficulty | Setup Time | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Figma Plugins | Easiest | 30 sec | Quick spot-checks |
| Desktop Overlays | Easy | 1 min | Real-time editing |
| Web Simulators | Easy | 1 min | Highest accuracy |
Method 1: Figma Plugins
Step-by-Step
- 1Open your Figma file
- 2Go to Plugins → search "Color Blind"
- 3Install "Color Blind" or "Able" from the Figma Community
- 4Select a frame → run the plugin
- 5Toggle between CVD types to preview
Color Blind
Generates side-by-side previews for 8 CVD types. Simple and fast. Free on Figma Community.
Able – Friction-free accessibility
Contrast checker + CVD simulation in one plugin by Alex Muench. Shows WCAG compliance too.
Stark
Full accessibility suite including CVD simulation, contrast, and focus order. Free tier available.
- • Works directly inside Figma
- • No context-switching
- • Free plugins available
- • Supports multiple CVD types
- • Plugin quality varies
- • Some only generate static previews
- • May slow down on large files
- • Limited to selected frames
Method 2: Desktop Overlay Tools
Step-by-Step
- 1Download Color Oracle (free, cross-platform) or Sim Daltonism (macOS/iOS)
- 2Open your Figma file in the browser or desktop app
- 3Activate the overlay tool — it filters your entire screen
- 4Your Figma canvas now shows the CVD simulation in real time
- 5Toggle between protanopia, deuteranopia, and tritanopia
Color Oracle
System-wide filter. Keyboard shortcut toggles CVD simulation over your entire monitor.
Sim Daltonism
Floating window you drag over any part of your screen. Supports 8 CVD types.
- • Works over any app, not just Figma
- • Real-time — updates as you edit
- • Free and lightweight
- • No plugin installation needed in Figma
- • Filters entire screen, not just your design
- • Color Oracle limited to 3 CVD types
- • Sim Daltonism is macOS/iOS only
- • Can't export filtered views
Method 3: Web-Based Simulators
Step-by-Step
- 1Export your Figma frame as PNG (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+E)
- 2Go to a web simulator like RGBlind
- 3Upload or drag your exported image
- 4Toggle between all CVD types instantly
- 5Check problem areas and go back to fix them in Figma
RGBlind Simulator
Drag in your exported Figma frame. Instant simulation across all CVD types with side-by-side view.
Chrome DevTools
Open DevTools → Rendering → Emulate vision deficiency. Works on any live webpage.
- • Most accurate simulation algorithms
- • Supports all 8 CVD types including anomalous
- • Webcam mode for physical prototypes
- • Side-by-side comparison view
- • Requires export/upload step
- • Not integrated into Figma directly
- • Extra context-switching
- • Need to re-export after changes
Which Method Should You Use?
Quick check during design?
Use a Figma plugin. Install "Color Blind" from the Figma Community, select your frame, done. Takes 30 seconds.
Real-time feedback while editing?
Use Color Oracle or Sim Daltonism. Your Figma canvas updates live as you change colors.
Final accessibility audit?
Export and test with RGBlind. Most accurate algorithms, all 8 CVD types, side-by-side comparison.
In practice, most teams we've worked with use a combination: plugins for quick spot-checks during design, then a full simulator pass before handoff. The important thing is that you check at all — even a quick plugin test catches 80% of the issues.
Accessibility Checklist for Figma
- Run CVD simulation on all major screens (protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia)
- Verify status indicators use icons + color, not color alone
- Check form errors have text labels, not just red borders
- Ensure chart/graph colors are distinguishable under simulation
- Verify text contrast ratios meet WCAG 2.2 (4.5:1 for normal text)
- Test link visibility — add underlines or weight changes
- Check button hierarchy doesn't rely solely on hue differences
Common Questions
Does Figma have built-in color blind simulation?
Not natively, but you can use free plugins like "Color Blind" "Able" that integrate directly into Figma's plugin panel.
Which plugin is best for Figma?
"Color Blind" for quick previews, "Able" (by Alex Muench) if you also want contrast checking, and "Stark" if you need a full accessibility suite with team features.
Can I test color blindness without exporting from Figma?
Yes — either use a Figma plugin (works on selected frames) or a desktop overlay tool like Color Oracle that filters your entire screen including the Figma canvas.
How many CVD types should I test?
At minimum: deuteranopia (most common), protanopia, and tritanopia. For thorough testing, also check the anomalous types (deuteranomaly, protanomaly) and achromatopsia.
Test Your Designs Now
Export your Figma frame and check it against all 8 types of color blindness in seconds.