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Thread: hyperlinked text that is indistinguishable from adjacent text
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From: Mosley, Leigh
Date: Wed, Feb 07 2024 11:01AM
Subject: hyperlinked text that is indistinguishable from adjacent text
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Greetings WebAim!
Very often I see hyperlinked text that is visually indistinguishable from the adjacent text (i.e., it's all plain black text on white background). The only indicator that some text is hyperlinked is the underlining that appears on keyboard focus and the hand pointer that appears on mouse hover. I feel this is certainly a UX issue, but is it actually an accessibility issue under WCAG? If the linked text were dark blue and the adjacent text black, I could fail it under 1.4.1 - but since it's all black text, color isn't being used to convey any information. And failure technique F73 seems to provide this exemption: "There is no requirement that links be identifiable by people who cannot perceive color if they are not perceivable for those with color vision. (e.g. if the links are hidden for everyone - as in a game or test)." But this isn't a game or test - these are respected online academic journals and I see this style choice for hyperlinked text in their articles very frequently.
Thanks!
Leigh Mosley
From: Dean.Vasile
Date: Wed, Feb 07 2024 11:16AM
Subject: Re: hyperlinked text that is indistinguishable from adjacenttext
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Hello there!
You've raised a pertinent point. While it might seem like a UX issue, the lack of sufficient visual distinction for hyperlinked text can indeed be an accessibility concern under WCAG. Even though color isn't being used to convey information in this case, the absence of clear visual cues could make it challenging for users with certain disabilities, such as low vision or color blindness, to identify the links easily.
While WCAG does not specifically mandate a particular color for hyperlinks, it emphasizes the importance of ensuring that links are perceivable and distinguishable from surrounding text. This can include using underlines or other visual indicators to make links stand out.
In your situation, it might be worth considering implementing additional visual cues, such as underlining or using a different font style for hyperlinks, to improve accessibility for all users. This way, you can ensure that users with various disabilities can navigate your content effectively.
Dean Vasile
617-799-1162
> On Feb 7, 2024, at 1:01 PM, Mosley, Leigh via WebAIM-Forum < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
>
> Greetings WebAim!
>
> Very often I see hyperlinked text that is visually indistinguishable from the adjacent text (i.e., it's all plain black text on white background). The only indicator that some text is hyperlinked is the underlining that appears on keyboard focus and the hand pointer that appears on mouse hover. I feel this is certainly a UX issue, but is it actually an accessibility issue under WCAG? If the linked text were dark blue and the adjacent text black, I could fail it under 1.4.1 - but since it's all black text, color isn't being used to convey any information. And failure technique F73 seems to provide this exemption: "There is no requirement that links be identifiable by people who cannot perceive color if they are not perceivable for those with color vision. (e.g. if the links are hidden for everyone - as in a game or test)." But this isn't a game or test - these are respected online academic journals and I see this style choice for hyperlinked text in their articles very frequently.
>
> Thanks!
From: Patrick H. Lauke
Date: Wed, Feb 07 2024 11:23AM
Subject: Re: hyperlinked text that is indistinguishable from adjacent text
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On 07/02/2024 18:01, Mosley, Leigh via WebAIM-Forum wrote:
> Greetings WebAim!
>
> Very often I see hyperlinked text that is visually indistinguishable from the adjacent text (i.e., it's all plain black text on white background). The only indicator that some text is hyperlinked is the underlining that appears on keyboard focus and the hand pointer that appears on mouse hover. I feel this is certainly a UX issue, but is it actually an accessibility issue under WCAG?
There is no normative requirement here, unfortunately. It's a
well-known/well-documented gap in current WCAG.
Of course, this just underlines the point that WCAG is only a starting
point, rather than the final destination...
P
--
Patrick H. Lauke
* https://www.splintered.co.uk/
* https://github.com/patrickhlauke
* https://flickr.com/photos/redux/
* https://mastodon.social/@patrick_h_lauke
From: Mosley, Leigh
Date: Thu, Feb 08 2024 6:04AM
Subject: Re: hyperlinked text that is indistinguishable fromadjacenttext
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Thanks Dean!
I'm trying to think how to best articulate this problem to the publisher. It's embarrassing to have to tell them that zero color differentiation for hyperlinks, although a poor experience for all, technically passes WCAG 2.1 AA, but if they try to improve their UX by changing the color just a bit (less than 3.1 contrast), then I have to actually fail them under WCAG 1.4.1.
Obviously I would also encourage them to consider other visual cues such as underlining, but most designers like to tweak as little as possible in an already published design.
Leigh
From: Joseph Krack
Date: Thu, Feb 08 2024 9:06AM
Subject: Re: hyperlinked text that is indistinguishable from adjacent text
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The way it is written in the WCAG is pretty inconsistent. While it
seems that changing link text to a contrasting color (at least 3.01 -
which is hard to do), would be sufficient. However, this breaks the
obvious color alone standard. Our standard is that it is preferred if
the hyperlink text is a different color than the surrounding text, but
it is mandatory that the hyperlink is underlined, or has some other
visual cue.
Joe
On 2/8/2024 5:04 AM, Mosley, Leigh via WebAIM-Forum wrote:
> Thanks Dean!
>
> I'm trying to think how to best articulate this problem to the publisher. It's embarrassing to have to tell them that zero color differentiation for hyperlinks, although a poor experience for all, technically passes WCAG 2.1 AA, but if they try to improve their UX by changing the color just a bit (less than 3.1 contrast), then I have to actually fail them under WCAG 1.4.1.
>
> Obviously I would also encourage them to consider other visual cues such as underlining, but most designers like to tweak as little as possible in an already published design.
>
> Leigh
>
>
>
>
>
From: Patrick H. Lauke
Date: Thu, Feb 08 2024 9:28AM
Subject: Re: hyperlinked text that is indistinguishable from adjacent text
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On 08/02/2024 16:06, Joseph Krack wrote:
> The way it is written in the WCAG is pretty inconsistent. While it
> seems that changing link text to a contrasting color (at least 3.01 -
> which is hard to do), would be sufficient. However, this breaks the
> obvious color alone standard.
When two colours/shades have a contrast of 3:1, then their difference is
not just colour, but the difference in brightness/luminosity counts as
another visual factor.
"Note
If content is conveyed through the use of colors that differ not only in
their hue, but that also have a significant difference in lightness,
then this counts as an additional visual distinction, as long as the
difference in relative luminance between the colors leads to a contrast
ratio of 3:1 or greater. For example, a light green and a dark red
differ both by color (hue) and by lightness, so they would pass if the
contrast ratio is at least 3:1. Similarly, if content is distinguished
by inverting an element's foreground and background colors, this would
pass (again, assuming that the foreground and background colors have a
sufficient contrast)."
https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/use-of-color.html
P
--
Patrick H. Lauke
* https://www.splintered.co.uk/
* https://github.com/patrickhlauke
* https://flickr.com/photos/redux/
* https://mastodon.social/@patrick_h_lauke