Colorblind accessibility in both design and virtual reality is an issue that is frequently overlooked. Most designs we see in public are made without consideration for how colorblind audiences will perceive it. With the virtual reality industry growing rapidly, we’re seeing these same problems arise in the new technology. As someone familiar with both design and VR, I wanted to bring attention to the issue by combining both into one project.

The goal of “3 Environments Suspended in Space” is to use virtual reality creation tools to make alternate versions of environments that are typically affected by colorblindness. These versions have adjusted colors so that they can look the same for somebody with or without that form of colorblindness. Each environment is made for a different type of colorblindness.

To achieve this goal, I used Google Tilt Brush on my Oculus Quest 2 to create 3 individual environments. To convey the vibrance of a forest for people with Deuteranopia(green colorblindness), I changed the greens to blues of similar values. For people with Protonopia (red colorblindness), I made the explosions from a volcano yellow, which could match the brightness of lava. For people with Tritanopia (blue-yellow colorblindness), I created a field of dandelions and sunflowers using teal and red. The space was designed to be interacted with via virtual reality headset, but due to the pandemic, it can also be experienced via browser.