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Re: 1.4.1 use of color for state indicator

for

From: Patrick H. Lauke
Date: Mar 9, 2020 5:18AM

On 09/03/2020 11:01, glen walker wrote:
> Ok, maybe I need to ask for an opinion, then.
>
> If you had to audit a site and the selected button had a black or blue
> background (unselected has a white background), would you pass 1.4.1? Or
> perhaps report it as a low priority failure and recommend they add another
> visual clue for the selected button but note that as it currently stands,
> most (if not all) users that can see the buttons will be able to tell which
> one is selected?
>
> If so, then when would this issue move from a low to a medium or high
> priority issue? I have a real example where the default button has a white
> background (and black text) but the selected button in the group has a
> light orange background. The contrast ratio of of the white to orange is
> 1.8:1, but as mentioned originally, there isn't a requirement for contrast
> between states.
>
> The buttons all have borders so the adjacent color contrast is ok (1.4.11).
>
> Technically, the light orange background is "color only" just like the
> black background, but it sounds like the black background we would pass.
>
> So what would you use to determine when a 1.4.1 pass becomes a failure?
> Contrast?

I've so far tackled this gap/inconsistency in WCAG using the 3:1
contrast ratio noted in F73
(https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/failures/F73). Of course,
there's related things I'd look for in terms of "is the selection state
programmatically conveyed" under 4.1.2.

However, I've noted this gap before, and that the redefinition of
"color" to mean "hue" in a non-normative failure technique is
ridiculous. The actual normative 1.4.1 needs to be expanded/modified to
address these things, but currently the desire to open that can of worms
in WCAG seems low, unfortunately.

P
--
Patrick H. Lauke

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