Success Criterion 1.4.11
Conformance level AA

Star Rating Icons Where Filled and Empty Look Too Similar

1.4.11 — Non-text Contrast

Scenario

Setting

A car-rental site's checkout flow

What’s wrong

Star/rating icons where filled vs — unfilled distinction <3:1.

Example

border: 1px solid #dcdcdc; /* icon outline, ~1.2:1 against white */

Why it matters

Low-vision and color-blind people who need to perceive controls and meaningful graphics.

How to test

Measure the difference between filled and unfilled star icons in a rating widget: below 3:1 makes the current rating unreadable.

How to fix

The visual element (border, icon, indicator, state marker) must have at least 3:1 contrast against adjacent colors in every state. border: 1px solid #767676; /* ~4.5:1 */ Icons, borders, and other non-text UI elements need at least 3:1 contrast to stay visible.

Outcome

On a car-rental site's checkout flow, this barrier is gone for low-vision and color-blind people who need to perceive controls and meaningful graphics — they no longer have to work around this.

Who is affected