Color Maker: a Mixed-Initiative Approach to Creating Accessible Color Maps Article Swipe
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· 2024
· Open Access
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· DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3613904.3642265
· OA: W4391335485
Quantitative data is frequently represented using color, yet designing\neffective color mappings is a challenging task, requiring one to balance\nperceptual standards with personal color preference. Current design tools\neither overwhelm novices with complexity or offer limited customization\noptions. We present ColorMaker, a mixed-initiative approach for creating\ncolormaps. ColorMaker combines fluid user interaction with real-time\noptimization to generate smooth, continuous color ramps. Users specify their\nloose color preferences while leaving the algorithm to generate precise color\nsequences, meeting both designer needs and established guidelines. ColorMaker\ncan create new colormaps, including designs accessible for people with\ncolor-vision deficiencies, starting from scratch or with only partial input,\nthus supporting ideation and iterative refinement. We show that our approach\ncan generate designs with similar or superior perceptual characteristics to\nstandard colormaps. A user study demonstrates how designers of varying skill\nlevels can use this tool to create custom, high-quality colormaps. ColorMaker\nis available at https://colormaker.org\n
