Data Visualization

Creating accessible data visualizations means the widest possible net of users are able to enjoy your work! When it comes to data visualization, two of the biggest areas to pay attention to accessibility are color and alt-text. 

Choose accessible colors for your data visualization is important for both printed visualization and those presented online. The two factors you want to keep in mind when choosing colors for your data visualization are color-blind friendly color palettes and appropriate contrast between text color and background color. You can use the tools below to generate color palates that meet both of these requirements. 

Alt-text is used by people who navigate the internet with a screen reader. When alt-text is added to an image, it's read aloud by the screen reader and users have a sense of the image and how it is functioning on the web page. While it may not be immediately obvious, data visualizations are also a type of picture and therefore also need alt-text. A useful formula to use when writing alt-text for data visualization is: 

alt = “ chart type  of  type of data  where  reason for including chart ”

If possible, you'll also want to Include a link to the data source somewhere outside the alt-text. This is often done in a caption below a data visualization or in the body of the text surrounding a data visualization.