Finding Unconventional Uses for Accessible Tools
Over the last six months, interest in branded augmented reality (AR) experiences has exploded. Everyone wants in, but with webAR not yet ready for primetime, executing a flawless and marker-less AR experience still requires a native mobile application. This can be a barrier to entry for many users. So we found ourselves diving into existing social apps with open AR platforms that would support our creative team’s vision, which in turn led me to Snapchat’s Lens Studio.
The main application of Lens Studio for open developers is to create outward-facing AR experiences that enable you to place an object in the space around you. The most famous example of this came in the way of the “dancing hot dog”, created by Snapchat, for Snapchat. This little moment of joy set a precedent for future applications, that (while certainly fun) didn’t go far beyond that in terms of purpose. And to its credit, didn’t need to. It served a perfectly acceptable purpose for the platform and for its audience, who go mainly to Snapchat for just that — fun.
But what if Snapchat lenses could serve a greater purpose?
With over 187M daily active users and 1M snaps created every day, Snapchat is easily one of the most accessible social platforms in existence. So why not go beyond “fun” and actually help solve for the issues of web accessibility?
In my exploration of the Lens Studio’s capabilities, I found myself drawn to a feature that didn’t involve the main 3D AR component, but rather focused on the post-effect filters. Within these filters exists a simple way to add color adjustment to the overall lens by mapping source colors to new ones. And then it struck me –what if I could manipulate these filters to help designers understand the barriers colorblind people face on a daily basis when encountering our utilities?
Being familiar with Photoshop’s proofing tools used in pre-flight checking for print, as well as color blindness simulation, I sought to replicate this as a filter for Snapchat. Incorporating available tools and information from a site called Colblindor, I created effects for the top three most common color blindness types: protanopia, deuteranopia, and tritanopia — situations wherein a person lacks long-wave, medium-wave, or short-wave cones, respectively. People affected by these defects do not see the full color spectrum, thereby making it difficult for them to distinguish between shades and hues that an otherwise uninhibited person would see. As a result, design decisions in which certain colors are the only means of identifying or classifying can become downright confusing or un-usable for people affected by color blindness.
By creating this filter, I was able to simulate what colorblind people actually see. While this is something most of us don’t stop to think about on a day-to-day basis, as designers, we’d be remiss not to consider it while designing. While tools like Photoshop and Sketch do offer tools for designers to preview, having a lens to see the entire world the way a person with color blindness does can be quite powerful. Not to mention more accessible to everyday users. And using a tool like Snapchat to distribute it can help get it easily into the hands of millions.
Sure, color blindness may not be the most “fun” of subjects, but it’s one of many we could help bring some awareness to by using tools like Snapchat to better understand how we can design and create for this community. When creating tools and experiences, it’s important to consider usability for all, and leveraging unconventional platforms to help deliver that message might just be the perfect vehicle. Check it out here.
Eric Decker is the VP of Technology at Firstborn.
