Workday needed to update charts in the design system and make them accessible for users. This project aimed to design a pattern library to assist people with color blindness. In two months, I audited the current framework, conceptualized an approach for the patterns, executed the designs, and tested the patterns internally.
I enjoy making the internet more accessible and was thrilled to work on this project.
At the project's start, I researched fill patterns in our current pattern library and found that the visualizations did not align with the design system colors and were unclear at small scales.
I adopted a clean slate approach to design the fill patterns. I began by selecting basic elements to examine the density in space. As I explored options from less dense to denser patterns, the foreground and background unveiled new shapes to work with. For instance, crossed lines formed diamonds in the negative space.
The chart system needed to support a wide variety of chart sizes. The biggest challenge involved finding fill patterns that suited small spaces. I collaborated closely with the developer, iterating through multiple prototypes to select patterns that fit well in those confined areas.
When selecting the pattern, I placed them in the context of the smallest bar chart to ensure legibility at a small scale.
Once I selected black-and-white patterns, I began incorporating colors from Workday's design system.
Defining the logic for using the solid colors in the fill pattern mode was the next step in determining the appropriate level of legibility. How might we determine the right level of fidelity in our patterns?
I worked with the developer to create a tool that evaluates the contrast levels between charting colors and the fill patterns to calculate a score based on legibility standards. It used color interpolation methods for blending between the two values. I used this tool to generate a set of high contrast color and fill pattern pairs.
After several iterations, I selected a version of the interpolated color for each fill pattern. We shipped this first version with limited internal testing, primarily based on the internal team's feedback. I normally would want to test the selection with users and with different screens, but we were working under intense time constraints and shipped my recommendations for the first release.
The new color schemes and fill patterns significantly improved accessibility across the platform, making it easier for a wider range of individuals to navigate and interact with charts in the Workday enterprise.