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Re: 1.4.1 use of color for state indicator

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From: Jonathan Avila
Date: Mar 9, 2020 5:57AM

If something has contrast >= 3:1 then and that contrast communicates the meaning even when in grayscale then it would not fail the 1.4.1 Color requirement as Color (Hue) is not being used -- luminance is being used to communicate the difference.

So if you have a selected button that is inverted from the other colors and that selected state itself and the difference from the adjacent selected states >= 3:1 then it would pass. Comparison between non-adjacent selected states is something of a challenge as it's not clearly stated -- but I'd argue that if the difference between selected states only used luminance that was < 3:1 compared to the other selected state then it would not pass.

Jonathan

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Subject: Re: [WebAIM] 1.4.1 use of color for state indicator

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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?