Accessible Color Cycles for Data Visualization
Matthew A. Petroff
Color cycles, ordered sets of colors for data visualization, that balance
aesthetics with accessibility considerations are presented. In order to model
aesthetic preference, data were collected with an online survey, and the
results were used to train a machine-learning model. To ensure accessibility,
this model was combined with minimum-perceptual-distance constraints, including
for simulated color-vision deficiencies, as well as with
minimum-lightness-distance constraints for grayscale printing,
maximum-lightness constraints for maintaining contrast with a white background,
and scores from a color-saliency model for ease of use of the colors in verbal
and written descriptions. Optimal color cycles containing six, eight, and ten
colors were generated using the data-driven aesthetic-preference model and
accessibility constraints. Due to the balance of aesthetics and accessibility
considerations, the resulting color cycles can serve as reasonable defaults in
data-plotting codes.