Visual design space

The physical medium related to human sight through which a user and device may interact. The visual design space is the dominant channel in most user interfaces, encompassing text, images, video, colour, layout, animation, and spatial arrangement. The overwhelming bias toward the visual design space in interface design is a root cause of many accessibility barriers. Users with visual impairments must rely on content being adequately represented in other design spaces (sonic, haptic), while users with low vision require that visual content meet specific thresholds for contrast, size, and spacing. Understanding the visual design space as one of several possible channels for conveying information — rather than the default — is a foundational shift in thinking about accessible design.