- Success Criterion 1.1.1
- Conformance level A
- W3C reference F71
Fancy Unicode Letters Used Instead of Real, Readable Text
1.1.1 — Non-text Content
Scenario
Setting
A dating app's profile setup
What’s wrong
Fancy Unicode 'font' characters are used to imitate styled text — screen readers can't read them as normal words.
Example
Open a dating app's profile setup and this is what you'll see: fancy Unicode 'font' characters are used to imitate styled text — screen readers can't read them as normal words.
Why it matters
Blind and low-vision people using screen readers, and anyone who browses with images disabled, when icons or photos carry meaning. On a dating app's profile setup specifically, they can't tell what the image or video is showing.
How to test
Copy suspect 'text' and paste it into a plain text editor: if it renders as unusual Unicode glyphs instead of normal letters, a screen reader will not read it as words.
How to fix
Use real text (or provide a text alternative) instead of Unicode look-alike glyphs.
Outcome
Fixed, a visitor to a dating app's profile setup can understand the image, video, or audio content.
Who is affected
Blind and low-vision people using screen readers, and anyone who browses with images disabled, when icons or photos carry meaning.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
- Technique Related technique (opens in a new tab)
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