Marcelo Paiva

All criteriaPresent as slides

An older woman in glasses looks toward a chameleon perched on a branch among leaves and swirls.Meant to show: An older Chinese woman with reading glasses pushed up her nose

Success criterion 1.4.3

Contrast (Minimum)

Text and images of text have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1, except for large text, incidental text, or logos.

  • Level AA
  • Principle 1: Perceivable
  • Guideline 1.4: Distinguishable

In a user’s words

“Is that text or a chameleon? I can't tell because it's blending into the background!”

Who this helps: Low Vision

What each role can do

Product manager
Maintain a minimum contrast ratio for text to ensure readability.
Designer
Use a color contrast tool to check and validate text-to-background contrast.
Developer
Use CSS to set text and background colors that meet the minimum contrast requirements.
Tester
Test contrast ratios on multiple devices under various lighting conditions.

Once it is fixed

“Ah, now I can read without straining my eyes. You're a lifesaver!”

The quotes are written to illustrate the criterion. They are not testimonials from real people. For the official wording, find 1.4.3 in the W3C quick reference for WCAG 2.2 (opens in a new tab).

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