Color and accessibility guidelines in Tableau - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

👤 Your Role: You are a data analyst at a retail company.

📋 Request: Your manager wants you to create a sales dashboard that is easy to understand for everyone, including people with color vision deficiencies.

📊 Data: You have monthly sales data by product category and region for the past year.

🎯 Deliverable: Create a Tableau dashboard that uses color palettes accessible to colorblind users and follows best practices for color use in data visualization.

Sample Data

Month	Region	Product Category	Sales
Jan	North	Electronics	12000
Jan	South	Furniture	8500
Feb	North	Electronics	15000
Feb	South	Furniture	9000
Mar	North	Electronics	13000
Mar	South	Furniture	8700
Apr	North	Electronics	16000
Apr	South	Furniture	9200

1

Step 1: Connect your sales data to Tableau and create a new worksheet.

Load the data source with columns: Month, Region, Product Category, Sales.

Expected Result

Data is loaded and visible in Tableau's data pane.

2

Step 2: Create a bar chart showing total sales by Product Category.

Rows: SUM(Sales), Columns: Product Category.

Expected Result

Bar chart displays total sales for Electronics and Furniture.

3

Step 3: Apply a color palette that is friendly for colorblind users.

In the Marks card, drag Product Category to Color. Then select 'Color' and choose 'Color Blind 10' palette from Tableau's built-in palettes.

Expected Result

Bars are colored with distinct, colorblind-safe colors.

4

Step 4: Add labels to the bars for clarity.

Drag SUM(Sales) to Label on the Marks card.

Expected Result

Each bar shows the sales number on top.

5

Step 5: Create a dashboard and add the bar chart.

New dashboard > drag the worksheet onto the dashboard canvas.

Expected Result

Dashboard shows the bar chart clearly.

6

Step 6: Add a text box with a note about color accessibility.

Use the dashboard text object to add: 'Colors used are accessible for colorblind users.'

Expected Result

Dashboard includes an accessibility note.

7

Step 7: Test the dashboard using Tableau's colorblind simulation feature.

Use 'View' > 'Color Blindness Simulation' and select types like Deuteranopia.

Expected Result

Colors remain distinguishable under colorblind simulations.

Final Result

Dashboard: Sales by Product Category

+-----------------------------+
| Electronics  ██████████ 16000 |
| Furniture    ██████     9200  |
+-----------------------------+

Note: Colors are colorblind accessible.

✓Electronics sales are higher than Furniture sales in the sample months.

✓Using colorblind-safe palettes ensures all users can distinguish categories.

✓Adding labels improves clarity beyond color alone.

Bonus Challenge

Add a filter to the dashboard to select sales by Region and ensure the color accessibility is maintained.

Show Hint

Use a Region filter on the dashboard and verify colors remain distinct for all filtered views.