The Essential Guide on Color Contrast Checkers: Towards WCAG Compliance
Web accessibility is a must-have in today’s digital world. As a designer or developer, you may have come across the term WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). Among its many guidelines, one of the most important is ensuring that there is enough contrast between colors. But how do you know that you are checking color contrasts effectively for WCAG compliance? In comes color-contrast-checker—an instrumental tool for improving accessibility. The article explores what a color contrast checker is, how it works, the significance of color contrast in design and some of the best tools available.
What Does a Color Contrast Checker Do?
Color contrast checkers are tools that discern the discrepancy in brightness and color between two sections of a design such as text and its background. This analysis helps create legible literature for all readers, even those with visual impairment.
Why does any of this matter?
- Accessibility: Good contrast increases readability of content; hence improved user experience for people with eyesight difficulties.
- Usability: High contrast enhances overall website usability making anyone able to use your site without straining or confusion whether they’re visually impaired or not.
- Compliance: Not only does adherence to WCAG guidelines make websites more inclusive, but it is also a legal requirement in many countries.
“Making the web more inclusive for all of us; achieving good color contrast does not mean that one should simply follow guidelines.”
Ensure broad accessibility by testing with users from different demographics.
How to Use a Color Contrast Checker
The use of a color contrast checker is generally simple and direct. The majority of tools will walk you through the process in just a few easy steps.
Step-by-Step Process
- Start by identifying foreground (text) and background colors. Choose Your Colors From Your Design.
- Paste the HEX codes or use the color picker to select colors. Input Colors into the Tool.
- Check the Results: This tool will provide a contrast ratio and indicate whether it meets WCAG criteria.
- Adjust as Necessary: If the required contrast is not met by your colors, consider tweaking them until they match guidelines.
Popular Color Contrast Checker Tools
Here are some effective tools that can guarantee your designs comply with WCAG standards:
- WebAIM Color Contrast Checker: An easy-to-use tool that provides instant evaluations of your text color against its background.
- Contrast Ratio: This tool lets you set two colours and gives you an immediate contrast ratio along with WCAG compliance results.
- ColorHexa: A more advanced tool which offers colour conversions, analyses, and checking for contrasts between colours.
Some Common Blunders to Watch Out For
The first step in solving this problem is to identify the root cause.