Systemizing Color through Accessible Palettes and Tooling

Date & Time

Wednesday, March 15, 2023 - 2:20 PM PST  

Location

Orange County 3/4  

Description

Intuit Design System (IDS) is the foundation for Intuit’s brands, products, and marketing experiences. IDS designed an accessible color palette, Color 2.0, that modernizes brands, improves accessibility, and lays the foundation for future requirements. A data-driven framework was an essential requirement to help us evolve the palette while maintaining harmony. Typically, an accessible color palette begins by selecting a color, checking its contrast against a background, and then modifying the value to meet contrast ratios. Intuit needed a faster, data-driven approach, and used the HSLuv color space. This advanced algorithm preserves the lightness and hue so colors are a closer match to how the eye perceives color through luminosity. With an intuitive nomenclature, designers can quickly identify accessible color pairings across 180+ values. To deliver the palette across the organization, IDS created a Figma plug-in to provide contextual color guidance within a designer’s workflow. This project took a year of in-depth customer research and cross-collaboration to understand needs across product UI, marketing websites, illustrations, and data visualizations for color blindness. Designing an accessible color palette is a complex process when considering the myriad needs of sighted users who will interact with it. Designing the color palette is the first step in the journey. Learn how open-source tools can simplify the complex and deliver creative excellence at scale.  

Audience

• Information & Communications Technology
• Media & Publishing
• Research & Development
• Marketing

Audience Level

Intermediate  

Session Summary (Abstract)

Discover the science behind an accessible color palette using data-driven frameworks and design tooling. Intuit Design System’s Color 2.0 foundation is the future for product reimagination and moments that delight customers of all sighted abilities.  

Primary Topic

Design  

Secondary Topics

• Development
• Digital Accessibility
• Leadership & Strategy
• Web

 

Session Type

General Track  

Presenter

• Andrea Turner
  Intuit

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