Why we built a web without the noise.
Pure Contrast Tools was not built in a boardroom. It was built at a dining room table.
My partner, Stephanie, is registered severely sight impaired. As her vision changed, the apps she loved playing, like Sudoku, became unusable. It was not just the small numbers; it was the clutter. Every few minutes, a flashing advert or a "buy gems" pop-up would appear. For someone with limited vision, finding the tiny 'X' to dismiss an ad is an impossible task.
I was also tired of the privacy cost of these "free" apps: the constant tracking, data harvesting, and GPS pings. So, I built her a version of Sudoku that was just Sudoku. It has high contrast, no ads, no cookies, and no tracking.
Only a few days after starting the project, I developed a vision problem in my right eye. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which caused optical neuritis. I spent three weeks in hospital, where I continued working on Pure Contrast Tools. Now that I have a vision impairment myself, this project feels even more personal. Between Stephanie and me, we only have one working eye out of four, so we have a vested interest in getting this right.
What started as a single game for Stephanie has snowballed into a suite of 14 games and 18 utility tools. Whether it is Sonar Ping (an audio-only game) or Pure Mail (accessible scam detector), the mission remains the same: Technology should respect the user.