Had a rough day testing color contrast with a client who has low vision last Wednesday

She couldn't tell the difference between my #888 and #666 text on a white background, which was a huge wakeup call that passing WCAG AA isn't always enough in real lighting conditions. Has anyone else run into situations where the numbers check out but real users still struggle?

2 comments

2 Comments

felix_martin5610d ago

...so I had this exact same problem but with buttons. I was so proud of my color choices, running them through all the contrast checkers, getting that sweet AA pass. Then my dad tried to use the app I built and he's like "which button am I supposed to push?" Turns out my nice #333 on #F5F5F5 was basically invisible to him in the afternoon sun coming through his window. Made me realize those checkers are a starting point, not the finish line. You can pass all the math tests but real world lighting and vision stuff is its own beast.

the_gray10d ago

Wait, you're telling me you passed all the formal checks and still had issues? That honestly surprises me, but it makes a ton of sense now that you say it. I used to think if you hit AA or AAA on those online tools you were basically done, like you cracked the code or something. But your dad in afternoon sun story really hit home for me, made me realize those tests are just measuring screen brightness math, not real human eyes squinting in different light. I've been guilty of trusting the numbers too much and skipping the actual test of handing my phone to someone older or stepping outside. So thanks for that reality check, I need to stop treating contrast checkers like gospel and start doing more real world testing myself.