Traffic lights methodology

Introduction

Using the traffic light methodology – where:

• Red is something that could be looked with caution
• Orange should be waited upon
• Green is of positive end result

Using the traffic light methodology but without icons to determine meaning of the action.

Colour blindness

The only problem with this methodology is that colour blind users might not be able to initially tell what dialogue is asking them to do.

Someone who suffers from Protanopia colour blindness sees an example like this.

Solution using icons

Icons could be designed to get around this issue. Each icon is associated with a possible outcome.

• A tick is used with green to create positivity
• Two arrows pointing towards each other represent orange and reaffirm waiting for a response.
• An exclamation mark promotes red – the combined effect denotes caution.

Attaching icons to each action lets the user know what is going to happen when clicking on the button.

Someone who suffers from Protanopia colour blindness sees an example like this.

With the icons, a person who suffers from colour blindness will still be able to notice a difference between each of the dialogue boxes.

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Image from Flickr – taken by Audiotribe.

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