3 Ways to Check Color Contrast with A11yInspect

Color contrast refers to the difference in brightness between foreground and background colors and is one of the most crucial elements of digital accessibility. Poor color contrast makes it challenging to get information and navigate the websites and applications especially for users with visual disabilities. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) by W3C, puts a strong emphasis on the importance of maintaining a sufficient contrast between the text and the background to ensure good readability.

In this blog, we will explore three efficient ways to check color contrast using A11yInspect, a powerful Browser extension designed by BarrierBreak to simplify accessibility testing. With tools like A11yInspect, checking and improving color contrast has never been easier.

Why does Color Contrast matter?

Before understanding the different ways to check color contrast, let’s understand why color contrast matters:

• Readability: Adequate color contrast ensures that text and other content are readable by everyone, including users with low vision or color deficiencies.
• Legal Compliance: All digital solutions including the websites and applications should adhere to WCAG to avoid legal risks and ensure accessibility.
• User Experience: High-contrast designs enhance the overall user experience and make content more accessible to a wider audience.

To understand more about the impact the color contrast makes, visit The Impact of Color Contrast on Accessibility

WCAG Text Contrast Requirements

As per WCAG Success Criteria 1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum), the requirement states;

• For Standard text below 18pts or 14pts bold, the minimum contrast ratio requirement is 4.5:1
• For Large text above 18pts or 14pts bold, the minimum contrast ratio requirement is 3:1

For more information on meeting the text contrast ratio requirement – refer Meeting Color Contrast with a Difference

At Level AAA, as per WCAG SC 1.4.6: Contrast (Enhanced) this requirement changes to 7:1 for standard text and 4.5:1 for large text respectively.

Note: Logo types (text that is part of logo or brand name) are exceptions. Other exceptions consists of inactive controls, decorative content, incidental text, information available in alternate accessible formats, colors changes by user agents, brand guidelines and so on.

WCAG Non-Text Contrast Requirements

There’s another requirement as per WCAG which is for the non-text elements like;

• Informative Icon/Images
• Focus Indicators
• User interface controls.

The requirement under WCAG Success Criteria 1.4.11: Non-Text Contrast states that the color contrast ratio for the non-text elements should be 3:1 against adjacent colors. For more information on the non-text requirement – refer Decoding WCAG 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast

Introduction to A11yInspect

A11yInspect is a Browser extension developed to make accessibility testing simple. Whether you’re a developer, designer, accessibility professional or QA tester, A11yInspect detects failures, identifies issues to validate and highlights code quickly. One of its standout features is its ability to analyze color palette. A11yInspect has an in-built color contrast checker & CSS overview along with color combinations to avoid.

Before we understand how to use the color contrast checker feature, install the BarrierBreak A11yInspect Extension from the Chrome Store or the Edge Store. Now, let’s understand the three ways you can check color contrast with A11yInspect:

Method 1: Automated Color Contrast Analysis

This approach is a great way to test only the text color contrast issues on a web page.

1. Open the webpage you want to test.
2. Open Inspect.
3. In the Elements panel, select A11yInspect.
4. In the Test tab, choose Color from the Element type drop-down.
5. Select Test Now.
6. Failures of color contrast appear in the Fail tab.

Note: The accessibility test results as per WCAG are displayed in tabs:

• Overview - View the summary of issues identified.
• Fail - List of accessibility failures.
• Validate - List of issues that need to be verified manually.
• Suggestion - Best practices that would be good to improve accessibility.

In order to test the color contrast for any text within an image or on a background image/gradient colors, follow Method 2.

Method 2: Using the A11yInspect Contrast Checker

Contrast Checker on A11yInspect is used to evaluate whether foreground and background/adjacent color combinations meet the WCAG requirements.

1. Go to a webpage.
2. Open Inspect.
3. In the Elements panel, select A11yInspect.
4. Select Contrast Checker tab.
5. Select the foreground & background color by using color picker or enter the values in HEX, HEXa, RGB, RGBa format.
6. You can Preview the results.
7. Check the Pass & Fail color contrast results according to AA & AAA conformance levels.

Note: This method is also helpful in checking the non-text contrast requirements.

Method 3: Identify CSS Information

The CSS Overview feature by A11yInspect provides information about the design coherence and the accessibility of a web page. It highlights the colors used on the page and helps you identify holistic CSS information of a webpage. To use this feature:

1. Go to a webpage.
2. Open Inspect.
3. In the Elements panel, select A11yInspect.
4. Select CSS Overview tab.
5. You can view the CSS details of the webpage - Background Colors, Text Colors, Font Size, Font Family, and Color Combinations to Avoid.

Note: Color Combinations to Avoid gives you suggestions on the combinations between the text colors and background colors that fail either AA or AAA. It doesn’t necessarily mean that these colors have been used on the web page.

Best Practices for maintaining good Color Contrast

A11yInspect's color contrast checker feature surely simplifies the process for you, but here are a few tips to maintain a good color contrast:

1. Use accessible Color Palettes: Choose color combinations that meet the WCAG color contrast requirements.
2. Test early: Integrate color contrast checks into your design and development workflow from the beginning.
3. Consider users with varied needs: Remember that different users may experience your content differently. Test for various types of disabilities.

Conclusion

Ensuring sufficient color contrast is an important aspect of creating an accessible digital experience. A11yInspect provides an intuitive and simple way to test and analyze color contrast, helping you meet WCAG standards and requirement. By leveraging these three effective ways, you can identify and address color contrast issues quickly and effectively. Download A11yInspect today – Chrome Store or Edge Store and take a significant step towards making your digital products accessible to all.