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Custom text highlighting style vs. browser defaults

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From: Jennison Mark Asuncion
Date: Jan 12, 2016 1:12PM

Passing along some questions from design colleagues that I'm hoping to
get some insight on.

"Feedback has been received that custom text highlighting is too
heavyweight when in used in long-form content. We currently
advise reversing the highlighted text in white out of a medium blue
background (Blue 6), which we purposely chose to meet contrast
requirements, but we'd
like to explore some more subtle approaches. To that end, here are
some questions.

1. If we use custom text highlight styling, does it affect or block
users' ability to customize browser text highlighting? (e.g. using a
high contrast
mode, or customizing text/highlight colors to compensate for color blindness)?
2. We use Browser defaults for focus states for buttons. Do best
practices also recommend a similar approach in this case?
3. If guidance states that text highlighting should meet color
contrast requirements, is it most important to maintain contrast
between:
Text and highlight only,
Text and highlight, AND highlight and canvas,
Highlight and canvas only, or
is this not so much of an issue?"


Jennison