Colour Contrast Based On WCAG 2.0

Abstract

Insufficient contrast between text and the background is a common problem on the web meanwhile very few researchers study the insights of the designers’ design thinking process, how they choose the specific colours from all the colours. WCAG 2.0 addresses the contrast problem, but the requirement is hard to understand for most designers. Therefore, some web designers check their designs with contrast checking tools after the design is finished. If the design does not meet the WCAG 2.0 guidelines the designer will have to go back and make adjustments and check contrast again. The gap between the requirements for designers and the sufficient tool assist them need to be filled. To overcome this problem, a cross culture interview was conducted to identify the factors the designer consider and their actual behavior during the design process. Moreover a colour picker tool is developed that allows designers to select WCAG 2.0 compliant colours during the design process thus eliminating the need for post-design colour adjustments. This dissertation aims to help software developer gain a deeper understanding about designers’ selections and make it easier to achieve readability on the web.