Utilities System Modernization — 2025
Accessibility as a Product Strategy: The High Contrast Mode Case Study
😵💫 The Context and the Challenge
In the essential services management sector (utilities), technical complexity and dense data volumes are constant. SOMUS (Utilities Management Solution), developed by SONDA, faced the challenge of modernizing its interface and, simultaneously, ensuring the tool was inclusive for a diverse user base operating in critical scenarios.
The need for a profound intervention in accessibility was based on concrete data extracted from quantitative research with the commercial solution's users:
- 7% of users have some type of visual impairment.
- 30% of users are over 50 years old, a group that naturally experiences a decrease in contrast perception.
The business bottleneck lay in legacy interfaces with low contrast and high information density, which hindered readability and increased visual fatigue. The challenge was threefold: ensure the contrast met the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), assure aesthetic adherence to market practices, and implement the feature in a technically efficient way within the system.
The Approach
To tackle the system's high complexity, the problem was sliced into investigation and technical execution stages. The approach prioritized the analysis of utilities sector benchmarks — such as Copel, Equatorial, and Compesa — and the study of mobile and desktop solutions to understand how major players handle high contrast.
The mapping focused on four main user profiles that would be directly impacted by the solution:
1 - People with low vision: Who face difficulties in distinguishing details in standard interfaces.
2 - People with color blindness: For whom certain color combinations prevent the distinction of critical elements.
3 - People with photosensitivity: Users who require the reduction of light backgrounds to lessen visual impact and fatigue.
4 - Older people: An audience that demands elevated contrast levels for safe navigation.
The Design Process: From Investigation to Implementation
The process was structured in a logical flow to ensure that interface decisions were validated before final delivery:
1 - Market Research and Requirements: In-depth study of the minimum requirements for high contrast compliance.
2 - Color Palette Definition: Ideation of a high contrast color palette that not only fulfilled the technical function but also maintained the project's identity.
3 - Contrast and Color Blindness Testing: Rigorous validation of the chosen colors using color blindness simulators to ensure element distinction.
4 - Prototyping on Real Screens: Application of the palette on complex screens, such as the RDCT Manager and the indicators Dashboard, ensuring that pie charts and tables maintained their informational clarity.
5 - Equivalence Palette (Front-end): Strategic collaboration with development to apply the feature via an equivalence palette, facilitating scalable theme switching in the system.
6 - Adjustments and Conflicts: Mapping of visual conflicts and refinement of interface components.
An important point to highlight within this case is that we saved time by building the high contrast mode using our Design System. By adding a new mode to the variables that already existed in the brand's standard mode, we significantly sped up the implementation process in the front-end code.
The Solution and the Impact
The delivered solution was the complete implementation of the High Contrast Mode within the SOMUS ecosystem. The interface was transformed to offer an optimized experience, where interaction elements, filters (such as date, municipality, and service status), and critical data (like the A1 note number or the offender's CPF/CNPJ) gained absolute visual prominence.
Identified Impacts:
Digital Inclusion
Compliance with WCAG standards, allowing 7% of users with visual impairments to operate the system with autonomy.
Visual Ergonomics
Reduction of eye fatigue for users of all ages, especially the 30% over 50 years old.
Operational Efficiency
Immediate clarity in management dashboards and tables (RDCT), reducing data interpretation errors.
Modernization
Replacement of outdated visual styles with a contemporary and accessible interface.
Learnings and Evolution
The execution of this project brought mature reflections on the role of design in mission-critical systems. The greatest technical learning was the need to design with "equivalence" in mind: a color in the standard interface should not merely be swapped for another in high contrast, but must carry the same semantic and functional value.
Overcoming readability challenges in dense tables and dashboard charts required a systemic vision that goes beyond aesthetics, focusing on pure utility.