What are the best ways to design for low-vision users?

When I approach contrast and color in UI a couple of things I keep in mind are: - To use high contrast between text and background colors to improve readability. Dark text on a light background or vice versa is generally a good choice. - Avoid color combinations that may be difficult for individuals with color blindness to distinguish. Another option would be to implement patterns to distinguish from other elements Figma has a great plugin for contrast, called Contrast (Novel I know). Once you select two elements on your frame, you can run it and it'll generate results on how those colors fall on the contrast ratio of 4.5:1.

Color blindness usually involves the inability to distinguish between shades of red and green. And in some cases difficulty in perceiving 'blue' light. Thus, just relying on color contrast is not a wise decision. As a general practice adhering to a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 should be inhabited.

I think Don’t just rely on color alone to convey meaning. Color vision deficiency (color blindness) is a common condition which makes it difficult to identify certain colors. This can make it hard to understand elements like buttons and graphs which rely only on color to convey information. Use other signifiers like text labels or different styles of dashed lines in those cases

On digital platforms, sans-serif fonts are more common than serif ones, which are mainly used in print. When it comes to the typeface, designers should check for common difficulties distinguishing letters like uppercase i and lowercase L, and sometimes even the number 1, as well as lowercase e and c or uppercase C and O. People with low vision or dyslexia will appreciate are more readable font. e.g. Noto Sans, Ubuntu, PT Sans, and such. The layout of a website should follow typical standards which most users expect to interact with a website, started with a header, then main content and a footer on the bottom. Headings should not be skipped and used to structure the page.

Mainly designers lack the difference between legibility and readability. While designing for low-vision users, both legibility and readability should be focussed. Knowing the audience, fancy layouts should be strictly avoided. This is not a game of impressing, but conversion. A simple layout with a clear CTA and instructions will be a win-win case.

Another way to help users with low vision is by keeping content on the lower side. CTA with an animated arrow, interactive pop-ups, and toast messages for the completion of an action would always be a plus point. A good user-centred design is self-explanatory.

The best way to test your websites and web application is always be including people with certain condition. In case you don't have the possibility to get your design or web app tested by someone else, you can still test it on your own by navigating through your app zooming in to at least 200%, or using the browser extension A11Y - Color blindness empathy test - Vision loss tests.