Changed my mind about WCAG contrast ratios after a late night in my office

I used to think WCAG AA was plenty good enough for any design. I never bothered checking beyond the automated tools. Then last Tuesday I was finishing a client dashboard at midnight, my eyes were tired, and I couldn't read my own button labels. They passed every check I ran, but they looked like a faded receipt against the background. I pulled up a manual contrast checker and found the ratios were just barely passing at 4.6 to 1. For kicks I bumped them to 7 to 1 and the difference was immediate. Now I aim for AAA on anything I'd have to read at 2 AM. Has anyone else had a project where the numbers said fine but your eyes said nope?

2 comments

2 Comments

troy_butler71d ago

Wait, you're saying automated tools passed that? That's wild to me, I always assumed those things caught borderline stuff like that. I mean, 4.6 to 1 sounds fine on paper but your eyes telling you different is a whole other deal.

simon_chen1d ago

Ha, well there's your problem - trusting my tired eyes AND the automated tools. Double whammy. Those checkers are like a GPS that says "you've arrived" when you're actually in a ditch somewhere technically nearby. I've learned the hard way that 4.5:1 is the bare minimum, not a comfort zone. My rule now is if I have to squint even a little, the ratio needs to go up.