Seven scoring dimensions
Evaluates primary text, muted text, action text, borders, and important component boundaries.
Checks whether background, surfaces, text, actions, focus, and feedback states have explicit assignments.
Tests functional colors under standard, protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia, and grayscale simulations.
Reviews default, hover, active, focus, selected, disabled, loading, success, warning, error, and information states.
Measures whether the system remains readable and structurally clear across light and dark contexts.
Tracks whether palette colors retain core CPS or intentional CPS X identities across tools and exports.
Combines print planning risk, palette balance, evidence confidence, and production completeness.
Scenario presets and weighting
Website UI, Mobile App, Brand Identity, Dashboard & Data, Marketing Page, Print, and Accessibility First use different weights. A marketing palette is not judged exactly like a dashboard or print system.
Hard blocker score caps
- Body text failing WCAG AA can cap the score at 69.
- Unreadable primary action text can cap the score at 74.
- A missing or unevaluable focus indicator can cap the score at 79.
- Status colors that collapse under color-vision simulation can cap the score at 84.
Evidence, fixes, and confidence
Every deduction includes evidence, affected roles, a recommendation, impact, effort, and confidence. CPS-aware Smart Fix first searches safer tones within the same family and visual character. When no core reference is suitable, it can preserve the intended color as a CPS X custom reference.
Limitations
Automated checks cannot validate content meaning, brand strategy, all component states, every display, every printing condition, assistive technology behavior, or representative user experience. Treat the score as a documented decision aid rather than certification.
Palette Readiness FAQ
What does the Palette Readiness Score measure?
It evaluates a palette against a selected use case using contrast, semantic role coverage, color distinguishability, interaction states, light and dark theme behavior, CPS consistency, and implementation readiness.
Why is my score capped?
Critical blockers impose hard score caps. A palette cannot receive a high production verdict while body text, primary actions, focus indicators, or status colors still have serious risks.
Does 100/100 guarantee accessibility?
No. The score only represents Color Pick’s documented checks. Production accessibility also depends on typography, content, component behavior, keyboard navigation, assistive technology, motion, and user testing.
How does the confidence rating work?
Confidence is higher when semantic roles and scenario context are explicitly supplied. When roles are missing, Color Pick uses inferred foreground, background, and functional colors and labels the result accordingly.
How is the benchmark percentile calculated?
It is a contextual estimate derived from the current Color Pick palette dataset and methodology version. It is not an industry certification or a claim about every palette on the web.
Can I export the audit?
Yes. The audit can be exported as a JSON report with palette identity, CPS references, scenario, score, dimensions, blockers, evidence, recommendations, role coverage, and methodology version.