• Success Criterion 1.4.11
  • Conformance level AA

Selected-State Marker Too Faint to Notice

1.4.11 — Non-text Contrast

Scenario

Setting

A crowdfunding platform's campaign page

What’s wrong

Selected-state indication (tab underline, active card border) <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 visual marker for a selected state (tab underline, active card border) against its background: 3:1 minimum.

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 crowdfunding platform's campaign page, this barrier is gone for low-vision and color-blind people who need to perceive controls and meaningful graphics — they can complete the task without hitting this wall.

Who is affected

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

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