Shades of EmpathyApples to Apples. Creating Empathy for Color Blindness through Shared Experiences

Shades of Empathy is an interactive exhibition that immerses audiences in the rarely understood challenges of color blindness. Using a dynamic blend of materials, mediums, and lighting effects, it creates a sensory-driven experience that stimulates curiosity and fosters empathy. By unveiling the nuances of color perception, the exhibition not only raises social awareness but also encourages designers to adopt more inclusive practices, ensuring that visual communication and design consider the needs of those with color blindness.





Project Type:
Experiential Design
Role:
Experiential Designer
Date:
Dec 2023































0 Entrance

The admission is open every hour for up to 60 people at a time. Color-blind individuals receive special glasses to enhance their experience.
01 What is Color Blindness?

Visitors read the content to gain a basic understanding of color blindness, including its causes, types, and symptoms. This interactive setting enhances their learning experience, making complex information easier to understand and visually appealing.
02 What Do You See?

As people enter, fog fills the room, and yellow and white lights challenge their vision. A question on the floor asks, "What color of light do you see?" Some may say blue, but it's an illusion—showing how color vision differs among individuals.


03 Bwtween Us

The structure displays images comparing how the same object appears in typical vision and various types of color blindness.



04 Color Blindness Fits into Daily Life

The grocery scene highlights the challenges color-blind individuals face when selecting items like fruit or daily necessities.
Visitors follow a guide to use an app simulate color-blind vision for a firsthand experience.



04 Color Blindness Fits into Daily Life

This area showcases various daily scenes to illustrate the challenges of color blindness. Visitors engage with personal stories to build empathy.
05 Myths and Facts

People will learn how color-blind individuals perceive the world, focusing less on color and more on shape or material. This helps visitors understand their unique way of seeing things.
06 What is Typicality? - Where is Entrance

Challenge visitors' vision through various forms and immerse them in the experience of color blindness.



06 What is Typicality? - What is Reality

This room prepares visitors for the next activity by displaying material samples under blue and white light. They will struggle to distinguish the correct colors, highlighting visual challenges.
06 What is Typicality? - What is Reality

The room uses blue light to strip objects of their original colors, while visitors use a green flashlight to find yellow items. Color-blind individuals may find this task easier than those with typical vision. This activity challenges perceptions of color and highlights the daily struggles of those with color blindness.

06 What is Typicality? - Embracing our Differences

The left side of the digital screens displays color-friendly options for different types of color blindness, while the right side shows normal vision.
06 What is Typicality? - Gray Zone

Interactive devices capture movement in grayscale pixels, helping visitors understand different gray shades through motion.

06 What is Typicality? - Gray Zone

The wall displays 50 shades of gray and three gray apples for comparison using Pantone. Visitors realize how hard it is to distinguish similar colors, just as in a fully color-blind world.
07 Everyone is Unique

Giant apples in various colors change under timed lighting, affecting perception and sparking discussions about individual experiences.