Get Shift Done: Tips and Tricks

Colorblind? Here’s How to Customize Slack to Make It Work for You.

Kevin Farrell
NewCo Shift
Published in
2 min readNov 14, 2016

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via Rookuzz, Flickr

Slack, for most of us, is either a ridiculously effective messaging and organizational tool or an undeniably addictive platform for posting GIFs and procrastinating on the company dime. But for those afflicted by colorblindness, Slack is just another whirring and buzzing rectangle taking up space on the screen.

Thankfully, it’s easy to customize Slack’s palette to compensate for both the red-green deficiency that the majority of those with color blindness are affected by, and the far rarer blue deficiency.

To start, click the menu bar at the top left of your Slack window. Whether you’re using Slack’s desktop app, the website, or Slack on your phone, the button will be in the top left. But depending on your Team’s name, the text could say practically anything.

In the drop-down menu, go ahead and click the Preferences button.

In Preferences, click Sidebar Theme, which will prompt a variety of colorful options to appear. Colorblind users previously had to manually enter their custom color code one field at a time, but Slack has since added options tailored to those with color deficiencies under the Accessible Themes header at the bottom.

Select the Protanopia & Deuteranopia option for a Slack palette that avoids reds and greens, or the Tritanopia option for a blue-free version. Clicking on a theme will automatically save and update the app. Happy Slacking!

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Kevin Farrell
NewCo Shift

Technology, travel & hospitality reporter. Recovering restaurateur. @natgeotravel @munchies @vice. #digitalnomad #remoteworker