diff --git a/client/__tests__/util/stateManager/colorHelpers.test.ts b/client/__tests__/util/stateManager/colorHelpers.test.ts
index 505de8668..213db54d2 100644
--- a/client/__tests__/util/stateManager/colorHelpers.test.ts
+++ b/client/__tests__/util/stateManager/colorHelpers.test.ts
@@ -89,14 +89,14 @@ describe("categorical color helpers", () => {
   );
 
   test("default category order", () => {
-    const ct = createColorTable(
-      "color by categorical metadata",
-      "categoricalColumn",
-      obsDataframe,
+    const ct = createColorTable({
+      colorMode: "color by categorical metadata",
+      colorByAccessor: "categoricalColumn",
+      colorByData: obsDataframe,
       schema,
-      null,
-      isSpatial
-    );
+      userColors: null,
+      isSpatial,
+    });
     expect(ct).toBeDefined();
     const data = obsDataframe.col("categoricalColumn").asArray();
     const cats = schema.annotations.obsByName.categoricalColumn.categories;
@@ -108,14 +108,14 @@ describe("categorical color helpers", () => {
   test("shuffle category order", () => {
     const schemaClone = indexSchema(JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(schema)));
     shuffle(schemaClone.annotations.obsByName.categoricalColumn.categories);
-    const ct = createColorTable(
-      "color by categorical metadata",
-      "categoricalColumn",
-      obsDataframe,
-      schemaClone,
-      null,
-      isSpatial
-    );
+    const ct = createColorTable({
+      colorMode: "color by categorical metadata",
+      colorByAccessor: "categoricalColumn",
+      colorByData: obsDataframe,
+      schema: schemaClone,
+      userColors: null,
+      isSpatial,
+    });
     expect(ct).toBeDefined();
     const data = obsDataframe.col("categoricalColumn").asArray();
     const cats = schemaClone.annotations.obsByName.categoricalColumn.categories;
@@ -144,14 +144,14 @@ describe("categorical color helpers", () => {
     const userColors = loadUserColorConfig(userDefinedColorTable);
     expect(userColors).toBeDefined();
 
-    const ct = createColorTable(
-      "color by categorical metadata",
-      "categoricalColumn",
-      obsDataframe,
+    const ct = createColorTable({
+      colorMode: "color by categorical metadata",
+      colorByAccessor: "categoricalColumn",
+      colorByData: obsDataframe,
       schema,
       userColors,
-      isSpatial
-    );
+      isSpatial,
+    });
     expect(ct).toBeDefined();
     const data = obsDataframe.col("categoricalColumn").asArray();
     for (let i = 0; i < schema.dataframe.nObs; i += 1) {
diff --git a/client/src/components/Graph/Graph.tsx b/client/src/components/Graph/Graph.tsx
index de1930e8d..0088941fb 100644
--- a/client/src/components/Graph/Graph.tsx
+++ b/client/src/components/Graph/Graph.tsx
@@ -1133,24 +1133,24 @@ class Graph extends React.Component<GraphProps, GraphState> {
 
     /* update color table state */
     if (!colors || !colorDf) {
-      return createColorTable(
-        null, // default mode
-        null,
-        null,
+      return createColorTable({
+        colorMode: null, // default mode
+        colorByAccessor: null,
+        colorByData: null,
         schema,
-        null,
-        isSpatial
-      );
+        userColors: null,
+        isSpatial,
+      });
     }
     const { colorAccessor, userColors, colorMode } = colors;
-    return createColorTable(
+    return createColorTable({
       colorMode,
-      colorAccessor,
-      colorDf,
+      colorByAccessor: colorAccessor,
+      colorByData: colorDf,
       schema,
       userColors,
-      isSpatial
-    );
+      isSpatial,
+    });
   }
 
   createColorByQuery(colors: RootState["colors"]): [Field, Query] | null {
diff --git a/client/src/components/LeftSidebar/components/Categorical/components/Category/Category.tsx b/client/src/components/LeftSidebar/components/Categorical/components/Category/Category.tsx
index 8af277c56..ee916d917 100644
--- a/client/src/components/LeftSidebar/components/Categorical/components/Category/Category.tsx
+++ b/client/src/components/LeftSidebar/components/Categorical/components/Category/Category.tsx
@@ -253,14 +253,14 @@ class Category extends React.PureComponent<CategoryProps> {
         colorMode === "color by categorical metadata",
       colorAccessor,
       colorMode,
-      colorTable: createColorTable(
+      colorTable: createColorTable({
         colorMode,
-        colorAccessor,
-        colorData,
+        colorByAccessor: colorAccessor,
+        colorByData: colorData,
         schema,
         userColors,
-        false
-      ),
+        isSpatial: false,
+      }),
     };
   }
 
diff --git a/client/src/components/Legend/Legend.tsx b/client/src/components/Legend/Legend.tsx
index 03a913770..ddb35a03a 100644
--- a/client/src/components/Legend/Legend.tsx
+++ b/client/src/components/Legend/Legend.tsx
@@ -183,14 +183,14 @@ class ContinuousLegend extends React.Component<Props> {
     const colorDf = colorQuery
       ? await annoMatrix.fetch(...colorQuery, globals.numBinsObsX)
       : null;
-    const colorTable = createColorTable(
+    const colorTable = createColorTable({
       colorMode,
-      colorAccessor,
-      colorDf,
+      colorByAccessor: colorAccessor,
+      colorByData: colorDf,
       schema,
       userColors,
-      false
-    );
+      isSpatial: false,
+    });
     const colorScale = colorTable.scale;
     const range = (colorScale?.range ?? (() => [0, 0])) as ColorRange;
     const [domainMin, domainMax] = colorScale?.domain?.() ?? [0, 0];
diff --git a/client/src/components/scatterplot/scatterplot.tsx b/client/src/components/scatterplot/scatterplot.tsx
index 9030e31a6..8465f10e7 100644
--- a/client/src/components/scatterplot/scatterplot.tsx
+++ b/client/src/components/scatterplot/scatterplot.tsx
@@ -349,14 +349,14 @@ class Scatterplot extends React.PureComponent<{}, State> {
     const { annoMatrix } = this.props;
     const { schema } = annoMatrix;
     const { colorAccessor, userColors, colorMode } = colors;
-    return createColorTable(
+    return createColorTable({
       colorMode,
-      colorAccessor,
-      colorDf,
+      colorByAccessor: colorAccessor,
+      colorByData: colorDf,
       schema,
       userColors,
-      false
-    );
+      isSpatial: false,
+    });
   }
 
   // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/explicit-module-boundary-types --- FIXME: disabled temporarily on migrate to TS.
diff --git a/client/src/util/stateManager/colorHelpers.ts b/client/src/util/stateManager/colorHelpers.ts
index 4c42950ff..00000c1f0 100644
--- a/client/src/util/stateManager/colorHelpers.ts
+++ b/client/src/util/stateManager/colorHelpers.ts
@@ -125,14 +125,23 @@ export interface ColorTable {
  * @param isSpatial - is in spatial mode
  * @returns colors scale and RGB array as an object
  */
-function _createColorTable(
-  colorMode: string | null,
-  colorByAccessor: LabelType | null,
-  colorByData: Dataframe | null,
-  schema: Schema,
-  userColors: ConvertedUserColors | null = null,
-  isSpatial: boolean
-): ColorTable {
+function _createColorTable(params: {
+  colorMode: string | null;
+  colorByAccessor: LabelType | null;
+  colorByData: Dataframe | null;
+  schema: Schema;
+  userColors?: ConvertedUserColors | null;
+  isSpatial: boolean;
+}): ColorTable {
+  const {
+    colorMode,
+    colorByAccessor,
+    colorByData,
+    schema,
+    userColors = null,
+    isSpatial,
+  } = params;
+
   if (colorMode === null || colorByData === null) {
     return defaultColors(schema.dataframe.nObs, isSpatial);
   }