- Success Criterion 1.4.11
- Conformance level AA
Dropdown Caret or Control Icon Invisible Against Its Background
1.4.11 — Non-text Contrast
Scenario
Setting
A coworking-space booking app
What’s wrong
Placeholder-styled dropdown carets and control affordances invisible against fills.
Example
A tester reviewing a coworking-space booking app finds this: placeholder-styled dropdown carets and control affordances invisible against fills.
Why it matters
Low-vision and color-blind people who need to perceive controls and meaningful graphics. The practical effect on a coworking-space booking app: they miss information conveyed only by color.
How to test
Measure dropdown carets, input affordance icons, and similar control cues against their fill color: below 3:1 makes them invisible.
How to fix
The visual element (border, icon, indicator, state marker) must have at least 3:1 contrast against adjacent colors in every state.
Outcome
That one change on a coworking-space booking app means they read the text clearly against its background.
Who is affected
Low-vision and color-blind people who need to perceive controls and meaningful graphics.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Focus Outline Removed With No Replacement Indicator
- Input Field Border With Contrast Too Low to See
- Checkbox or Radio Outline Too Faint When Unchecked
- Toggle Switch States Too Similar in Color to Tell Apart
- Focus Indicator Present but Below the Contrast Minimum
- Icon-Only Button Glyph With Contrast Too Low to See