Showerthought: I saw a traffic light with a shape inside each color and it clicked

I was walking in my town last week and saw a new traffic light at the Main Street crossing. Each light had a small black shape inside the colored circle: a triangle in the red, a square in the yellow, and a circle in the green. I asked a city worker about it and he said, "We're trying it for folks who can't see the colors well." It made me realize how much we rely on color alone for critical info. I'm not colorblind, but I started thinking about all the apps and charts I design at work that use only color to show different things. That one small change on a traffic light, adding a simple shape, could stop someone from making a dangerous mistake. It's a cheap fix that doesn't ruin the look for everyone else. Has anyone else seen good examples of using patterns or icons along with color in public stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

ray2109d ago

That shape system is actually for the red-green colorblind.

rowanp159d ago

Ray210, I see more of those thoughtful design choices in public transit maps now.