Contrast and Readability

The Contrast and Readability benchmark evaluates how easily users can read text content and distinguish which elements of an interface are interactive. This is tested by evaluating the contrast of foreground text with its background using built-in browser tools and third-party apps to ensure that it meets sufficient contrast ratio requirements, and evaluating links and other interactive elements of an interface to ensure that they are visually and programmatically distinguishable to the user as interactive.

Conformance with this benchmark supports users with low vision or no vision, as well as users with varying levels of color blindness. Text content and interactive elements with sufficient contrast are easier to read for users with low vision and varying levels of color blindness, and information presented to the user without relying on color alone helps users who cannot perceive differences in color. Text content and interactive elements that meet sufficient contrast requirements also adapt more easily to high-contrast settings common in most browser and device settings. Links and other interactive elements that can be programmatically determined by distinguishable text help users who require assistive technology such as screen readers or voice-input software to navigate.