Real-Time Mobile Personalized Simulations of Impaired Colour Vision
Rhouri MacAlpine, David R. Flatla · 2016 · Proceedings of the 18th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '16) · doi:10.1145/2982142.2982170
Summary
This paper extends personalized simulations of Impaired Colour Vision (ICV) to work in real time on mobile devices, enabling people with typical colour vision to see the world through the camera as someone with ICV would perceive it. At least 5% of the world population has some form of ICV, yet people with typical vision often lack understanding of how ICV affects daily life — a survey of 27 web designers found that while 93% knew ICV existed, only 48% considered end users with ICV when working on projects. Existing ICV simulations were limited to static images and computationally expensive. The authors built an Android application that calibrates an individual ICV participant's colour differentiation abilities to produce a personalized simulation, then uses pre-calculated Look-Up Tables (LUTs) to apply this simulation to the live camera feed in real time. The system uses OpenCV for camera access and RenderScript for parallel pixel processing. The app supports both personalized simulations (calibrated from a specific person with ICV) and standard simulations for protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia, and monochromacy. The personalized approach uses a two-pass algorithm operating in CIE L*u*v* perceptually-uniform colour space, simulating primary and secondary ICVs to accommodate people with multiple or compound conditions (e.g., inherited protanomalous ICV combined with age-related acquired ICV). The authors also corrected a bug in the original algorithm where secondary ICV simulation could partially undo the primary simulation.
Key findings
A comparative evaluation against Machado's adjustable ICV simulation technique showed general agreement between the two approaches — over 90% of colours had distances less than 21 CIE L*u*v* units (approximately 5-6 Just-Noticeable Differences), though some colours showed larger discrepancies due to differences in how the techniques handle large colour shifts and colours near the yellow-blue boundary. In a deployment study, nine participants with typical colour vision used personalized simulations (based on three ICV participants: one protan, one deutan, one near-monochromatic) for 7-10 days, capturing 461 photos of situations they found interesting or challenging through the simulation. Photos fell into categories: products (44%), home (21%), work/education (17%), outdoors (10%), and leisure (7%). Shopping for food was particularly revealing — participants noticed fresh produce appeared discoloured and unappetising, product packaging lost its visual distinctiveness, and similar products (e.g., lime vs. lemon body wash) became nearly indistinguishable. The near-monochromatic simulation provoked the strongest reaction: participants described it as "like the world was a black and white movie" and expressed disbelief that such severe colour loss was possible. All nine participants agreed the app effectively improved their understanding of ICV. Participants with protan simulations were surprised by the greyness of simulated Caucasian skin tones and the invisibility of rashes and burns.
Relevance
This work provides a powerful empathy-building tool for designers, developers, and the general public to understand colour vision deficiency experientially rather than theoretically. For accessibility practitioners, the study reinforces that awareness of ICV's existence is not the same as understanding its practical impact — even people who know about colour blindness are often surprised by how it affects everyday tasks like grocery shopping, reading packaging, or assessing skin conditions. The personalized aspect is particularly valuable: rather than showing generic simulations, users experience the specific colour perception of a real person, fostering personal connection and deeper understanding. The real-time mobile approach overcomes a critical limitation of static image simulations by allowing users to explore their own environments and discover ICV challenges they might never have anticipated. The findings about food shopping, product packaging, and skin tone perception provide concrete examples that can motivate accessible colour design in retail, healthcare, and digital interfaces. The tool has clear applications for design education, helping future designers internalize why colour should never be the sole means of conveying information.
Tags: color vision deficiency · color blindness · visual impairment · mobile accessibility · simulation · color contrast · inclusive design · empathy tools