He Couldn’t Tell If the Shirt Was Green or Brown

A few days ago, my friend called and asked if I could go shopping with him. Just casual, he needed some new clothes. So I said yeah, sure, why not?

We were looking around, checking out shirts and stuff, and every now and then he’d ask me,

“Hey, is this green or brown?”

“Does this shirt look blue or grey to you?”

At first, I thought he was just being picky. Then I remembered he’s color blind. He has trouble telling the difference between greens, yellows, and some shades of blue.

This is what real people deal with every day

As a designer, I’ve always known color is important. I love picking colors, making things look nice. But that shopping trip made me stop and ask myself:

“What if my designs make someone feel the way he felt in that store?”

Confused. Unsure. Always needing someone else to double-check.

We use color a lot in design. green for success, red for errors, blue for info, yellow for warning... It’s everywhere. But here’s the thing:

If color is the only way we’re showing something, then we’re making it harder for people like my friend to use it.

Good design is not about more colors, it’s about clearer communication

I’m not saying we should stop using color. Colors are great. But we need to make sure that if someone can’t see the color, they still understand what’s happening.

That means:

• Using strong contrast (light text on dark background or vice versa)

• Adding icons or text labels with color

• Using patterns or shapes (like dotted lines, icons, underlines)

• Testing designs in grayscale sometimes to see if they still work

This isn’t from a UX workshop. It’s from real life

I didn’t learn this from a book, or a course, or any design guru. I learned it from helping a friend pick a shirt.

And that’s what makes it stick. Because it’s real.

Sometimes the biggest design lessons don’t come from research or big data.
They come from looking around, paying attention, and being human.

Just something to think about

If you’re a designer or even if you’re not, this is just something worth keeping in mind:

We’re not always designing for people like us.
We’re designing for everyone.

And small changes like adding contrast or a simple label can go a long way.

That day with my friend really changed how I think about color in design. It’s not about removing color. It’s just about not relying on it too much.

So yeah, that’s it. Nothing fancy. Just wanted to share.