See Like Me: Colorblindness Simulator
AR application simulating different types of color vision deficiency in real-time
Tech Stack
Overview
Approximately 8% of men and 0.5% of women experience some form of color vision deficiency, yet most people have little understanding of how the world appears through color-blind eyes. See Like Me uses AR to simulate different types of color blindness in real-time, allowing users to point their phone camera at any scene and see it as someone with protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia, or other color vision conditions would perceive it.
Process & Approach
The application captures the live camera feed and applies color transformation matrices corresponding to different types of color vision deficiency. Each simulation mode was calibrated against established color vision research to ensure accuracy. The AR passthrough approach was chosen over static image processing to create an embodied, explorative experience — users naturally move through their environment, discovering which objects and interfaces lose distinguishability under different conditions.
Key Features
- Real-time camera-based color vision simulation
- Multiple color blindness profiles (protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia)
- Side-by-side comparison mode
- Educational overlays explaining each condition
- Mobile AR passthrough implementation
Technical Challenges
Achieving accurate color transformation at camera frame rates on mobile hardware required optimized shader-based processing. The color matrices had to be derived from perceptual models rather than simple channel swaps to produce scientifically accurate simulations rather than rough approximations.
Impact & Learnings
The simulator serves as an empathy and accessibility awareness tool — designers, developers, and educators can experience firsthand how their visual designs appear to users with color vision deficiency. It highlights the importance of designing for accessibility beyond just color contrast ratios.