Patterns-helpful for all or some?

[emilykund]

Hi friends,
I've recently had feedback provided that I needed to add patterns to all of the already colored bars in my bar charts. I know the guidelines say to not rely on color alone and I believe with each bar in my bar chart, I have not relied solely on color. Wouldn't that be accurate?

I have not used patterns because:

1. Not every tool has the ability to add patterns
2. Depending on the number of bars in the chart, I think it can create overwhelm for others (I'm thinking of folks who need their attention focused)

I'd love to hear if I'm off base or how others deal with double encoding the data when using color.

Why am I bringing this up here?

1. I wanted to get some outside perspective on what I'm doing.

2. Chartibility includes patterns as an example for bar charts (in addition to textures, shapes and size specifically for filled elements) and states that "Textures, shapes, or size (for filled elements) or dash patterns (for lines and paths) are required." The only requirement in WCAG is that you can't rely solely on color to convey information (unless I missed something in 1.4.1.