Give coloured status badges an explicit meaning

What to change

Ask for concise text that identifies each state, with colour acting as supporting information rather than the only explanation.

A worked example

Illustrative example

A portal labels an item Needs information instead of displaying an amber dot alone. The visitor can then open it to see the outstanding question.

How to check the result

Accept when every status is understandable independently of colour and stays aligned with the available task actions.

A mistake to avoid

A legend far from the items forces visitors to memorise colour meanings and still does not help when the colours cannot be distinguished.

Your action checklist

Use these checks to prepare a discussion with your team or supplier. Tick a check when you have recorded the decision or evidence, rather than when a feature has simply been promised.

Decisions to recordInspect every badge in the test interface, including less common states. Compare the displayed wording with what the visitor can actually do next.View the page without relying on colour and listen with a screen reader. Ask the supplier to show that each badge's meaning remains available.Change an item between states in a test scenario. Verify its text and colour update together and any associated action reflects the new state.

Evidence, open questions and decisionsNext action and responsible role

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