Focusing on content

Excel has recently gained several new features that make it easier to focus on the content, i.e. the tables we work with. First, the menu with color palettes is now much larger and more noticeable, and the choice of colors is more adapted to visually impaired people or those who do not perceive the differences between colors well. Then there is a new option that allows you to focus on the cell, making it easier to work with large tables.

If you want to change the background color of a cell or range, you need to select it, and then open the palette and choose the desired color, which is done from the appropriate menu within the Home ribbon.

Now this menu is much larger and more noticeable. This can make your work easier if you use a laptop with a small screen diagonal, and in addition, this option is very useful for visually impaired people. The color selection in the palette is related to the current Excel theme. At the top of the page, you’ll  see a High-contrast only option. If you turn it on, only high-contrast colors will be displayed in the palette.

This can be useful when you’re making reports so that they can be easily viewed by colorblind people- daltonists. It is the term used with people who primarily do not distinguish between red and green, although in medicine there are eight or nine different color perception disorders so this formulation, although common, is not the most accurate. If you’re not sure who your audience is, use high-contrast colors, that way everyone will see them.

Another useful option is one that makes it easier to focus on a cell, by using a given color to indicate the row and column you are currently in. It is activated if you go to the View menu and select Focus Cell from the menu of the same name.

In this menu, there is also the Focus Cell Color option, which allows you to choose a color that indicates the current row and column.