Chris
Great points. You’re right to note that very high contrast can also cause problems. When all objects demand equal attention, the visual hierarchy is weakened in similar ways to a very low contrast approach. We should always try to strike a balance.
Brett
I would suggest using AAA standards as a long-term goal. There is no reason to not meet AA requirements, as most are quite sensible and practical. Then, we can strive to meet AAA in our work where possible. A great brand, designed well, shouldn’t have to compromise on accessibility.
Legibility and usability is more than meeting accessibility standards. While it is absolutely something that must be a part of our design process — WHO estimates that 285 million people worldwide are affected by a visual impairment — we need to design for other considerations as well. I work on a Macbook Pro (with retina screen). However, most of the time it is attached to a nine-year-old Apple Cinema Display. Thin fonts that are legible on the retina screen suffer terrible aliasing on the older screen, and light greys are nearly invisible. The technology that we design on is often not the hardware that our users have an opportunity to use. Reflection and glare on even the newest and best monitor will wash away a low contrast design. Rendering differences on browsers and mobile devices can compromise text legibility.
I quite like how Heydon Pickering summarizes accessibility: “Accessibility is not just about addressing specific disabilities, but making sure as many people as possible have access to the same information.”
Mark Mitchell
Chris
Great points. You’re right to note that very high contrast can also cause problems. When all objects demand equal attention, the visual hierarchy is weakened in similar ways to a very low contrast approach. We should always try to strike a balance.
Brett
I would suggest using AAA standards as a long-term goal. There is no reason to not meet AA requirements, as most are quite sensible and practical. Then, we can strive to meet AAA in our work where possible. A great brand, designed well, shouldn’t have to compromise on accessibility.
Legibility and usability is more than meeting accessibility standards. While it is absolutely something that must be a part of our design process — WHO estimates that 285 million people worldwide are affected by a visual impairment — we need to design for other considerations as well. I work on a Macbook Pro (with retina screen). However, most of the time it is attached to a nine-year-old Apple Cinema Display. Thin fonts that are legible on the retina screen suffer terrible aliasing on the older screen, and light greys are nearly invisible. The technology that we design on is often not the hardware that our users have an opportunity to use. Reflection and glare on even the newest and best monitor will wash away a low contrast design. Rendering differences on browsers and mobile devices can compromise text legibility.
I quite like how Heydon Pickering summarizes accessibility: “Accessibility is not just about addressing specific disabilities, but making sure as many people as possible have access to the same information.”