Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
LessMore
Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology
Quick answers
When should I pick Accessible viz?
When the story is: public dashboards, exams, print in grey, legal slides.
When should I avoid Accessible viz?
Skip it in cases like: relying on red/green alone to mean bad/good.
Who invented or popularised it?
Ishihara plates 1917; WCAG 2 contrast; Okabe–Ito palettes for deuteranopia
What does it encode?
redundant channels: position, pattern, label, not hue alone
Is it OK in ads?
Yes if one claim is visible at a glance in Meta, Google and retail print; otherwise link to a full figure.
Will a teacher accept it?
Yes for lab reports and poster boards if axes, units and a source line are present.
Accessible viz encodes values as redundant channels: position, pattern, label, not hue alone. Ishihara plates 1917; WCAG 2 contrast; Okabe–Ito palettes for deuteranopia.
In reports, ads and assignments it fits public dashboards, exams, print in grey, legal slides. Skip it when relying on red/green alone to mean bad/good.
Make shapes, diagrams and charts in the browser. Download SVG or PNG — nothing is uploaded.
Work
- Work 1 — PowerPoint weekly: Accessible viz for public dashboards, exams, print in grey, legal slides.
- Work 2 — One Accessible viz on a quarterly bridge or KPI tile — not four.
- Work 3 — Build in Excel or Google Sheets, export SVG/PDF rather than a screenshot.
Ads
- Ads 1 — Meta, Google and retail print: one number, one shape, one arrow.
- Ads 2 — Keep callouts inside safe zones. No type in cropped corners.
- Ads 3 — If Accessible viz will not fit a banner, keep the number and show the chart on the landing page.
School
- School 1 — lab reports and poster boards: does Accessible viz answer the rubric?
- School 2 — Axis names, units, a source line. Markers read them.
- School 3 — Start with a mind map if you must; submit a figure that reads like Accessible viz.
Steps
- Steps 1 — Write the claim in one sentence.
- Steps 2 — Check that Accessible viz fits the claim. If not, switch.relying on red/green alone to mean bad/good
- Steps 3 — Draw it flat in Excel or Google Sheets or PowerPoint.
- Steps 4 — Direct labels, faint grid, claim-title.
- Steps 5 — Check greyscale and a color-blind simulator.
- Steps 6 — Add source, period, units; export SVG/PDF.
Accessible viz: honour redundant channels: position, pattern, label, not hue alone, and switch when relying on red/green alone to mean bad/good.