My friend said my new site's text was hard to read, and I didn't believe her.

She told me the gray text on my light blue background failed a contrast check, and after running it through a free tool, she was right. I changed it to a darker blue and got a passing score, and the feedback from users has been way better. What's the best free contrast checker you guys use for quick checks?

3 comments

3 Comments

tessa9221mo ago

You mentioned getting a passing score from a tool, but honestly, that's just the bare minimum. A lot of those checkers only test for legal compliance, not actual readability. I've seen sites that technically pass but still strain your eyes, like dark gray on a slightly lighter gray. For a quick check, I just use the one built into my browser's dev tools, but I always double check by actually looking at it on my phone in different lighting.

gavin92822d ago

Have you ever tried running those automated checks and then manually tweaking the contrast until it actually looks readable, even if it slightly fails the tool? I've found there's a sweet spot where a site passes the WCAG AA guidelines but still feels washed out on a bright screen. What's your rule of thumb for when to trust the tool versus your own eyes?

finleybutler1mo ago

Totally agree, I've been burned by that exact dark gray on light gray combo before!