RE: Criterion 1.4.11 - what constitutes a clickable boundary?

Steve Green <[email protected]> Fri, 29 May 2020 23:05:13 +0000
Newsgroups gmane.org.w3c.accessibility.general
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The Understanding page for 1.4.11 deals with a similar situation to your qu=
estion with regard to buttons. It says that as long as the button label has=
 sufficient contrast against the button's background, then there is no colo=
ur contrast requirement for the button outline against the page. This is be=
cause users can see the text label and click it, so they don't need to perc=
eive the extent of the larger clickable area.

See the Boundaries heading at https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/n=
on-text-contrast.html

I would apply the same logic to the Microsoft page. Since the entire conten=
ts of the tile are clickable, SC 1.4.11 only requires that the text has suf=
ficient contrast against the background (which is also required by 1.4.3). =
If the text did not have sufficient contrast to meet 1.4.3, then the outlin=
e of the tile (or another element inside it) would need to have sufficient =
contrast in order to meet 1.4.11

John Coburn just asked a related question about clickable tiles that contai=
n a lot of information, and this is a perfect example of how not to design =
one. The link encloses all the tile's content, so the accessible name is th=
e concatenation of all those contents. That is really bad from an accessibi=
lity perspective and I would fail it under 4.1.2 and probably several other=
 success criteria.

Steve Green
Managing Director
Test Partners Ltd


From: Catherine Ailanjian <[email protected]>
Sent: 29 May 2020 21:42
To: [email protected]
Subject: Criterion 1.4.11 - what constitutes a clickable boundary?


There is a kind of UI component that doesn't seem to be addressed on the "U=
nderstanding Success Criterion 1.4.11: Non-text Contrast" page (https://www=
.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/non-text-contrast) -  a clickable "product=
 tile", where the image of a product is displayed on a light-colored "tile"=
.



Here's an example from the Microsoft website (https://www.microsoft.com/en-=
us/store/collections/surfacelist?icid=3DMSCOM_QL_Surface&headerid=3Ddepartm=
ent-surface):



The light grey rectangle should be considered a UI component because it is =
clickable.  However, the light grey rectangle lacks sufficient contrast wit=
h the white background.



So, since the light grey rectangle IS the clickable border of this UI compo=
nent and it does not have sufficient contrast with the white background, wo=
uld it fail WCAG 1.4.11?


Cat Ailanjian

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<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"mso-fareast-language:EN-US">The Under=
standing page for 1.4.11 deals with a similar situation to your question wi=
th regard to buttons. It says that as long as the button label has sufficie=
nt contrast against the button&#8217;s background,
 then there is no colour contrast requirement for the button outline agains=
t the page. This is because users can see the text label and click it, so t=
hey don&#8217;t need to perceive the extent of the larger clickable area.<o=
:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p>&nbs=
p;</o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"mso-fareast-language:EN-US">See the B=
oundaries heading at
</span><a href=3D"https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/non-text-cont=
rast.html">https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/non-text-contrast.ht=
ml</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal">I would apply the same logic to the Microsoft page. =
Since the entire contents of the tile are clickable, SC 1.4.11 only require=
s that the text has sufficient contrast against the background (which is al=
so required by 1.4.3). If the text
 did not have sufficient contrast to meet 1.4.3, then the outline of the ti=
le (or another element inside it) would need to have sufficient contrast in=
 order to meet 1.4.11<span style=3D"mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p></o:p>=
</span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p>&nbs=
p;</o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"mso-fareast-language:EN-US">John Cobu=
rn just asked a related question about clickable tiles that contain a lot o=
f information, and this is a perfect example of how not to design one. The =
link encloses all the tile&#8217;s content,
 so the accessible name is the concatenation of all those contents. That is=
 really bad from an accessibility perspective and I would fail it under 4.1=
.2 and probably several other success criteria.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Steve Gre=
en<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Managing =
Director<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Test Part=
ners Ltd<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p>&nbs=
p;</o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p>&nbs=
p;</o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div style=3D"border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in =
0in 0in">
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><b><span lang=3D"EN-US">From:</span></b><span lang=
=3D"EN-US"> Catherine Ailanjian &lt;[email protected]&gt;
<br>
<b>Sent:</b> 29 May 2020 21:42<br>
<b>To:</b> [email protected]<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Criterion 1.4.11 - what constitutes a clickable boundary?<o=
:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>
<p class=3D"MsoPlainText"><span lang=3D"EN-US">There is a kind of UI compon=
ent that doesn&#8217;t seem to be addressed on the &#8220;Understanding Suc=
cess Criterion 1.4.11: Non-text Contrast&#8221; page (<a href=3D"https://ww=
w.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/non-text-contrast">https://www.w3.org/WAI=
/WCAG21/Understanding/non-text-contrast</a>)
 -&nbsp; a clickable &#8220;product tile&#8221;, where the image of a produ=
ct is displayed on a light-colored &#8220;tile&#8221;.<o:p></o:p></span></p=
>
<p class=3D"MsoPlainText"><span lang=3D"EN-US"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoPlainText"><span lang=3D"EN-US">Here&#8217;s an example from=
 the Microsoft website (<a href=3D"https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/co=
llections/surfacelist?icid=3DMSCOM_QL_Surface&amp;headerid=3Ddepartment-sur=
face">https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/collections/surfacelist?icid=3D=
MSCOM_QL_Surface&amp;headerid=3Ddepartment-surface</a>):<o:p></o:p></span><=
/p>
<p class=3D"MsoPlainText"><span lang=3D"EN-US"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoPlainText"><span lang=3D"EN-US">The light grey rectangle sho=
uld be considered a UI component because it is clickable.&nbsp; However, th=
e light grey rectangle lacks sufficient contrast with the white background.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoPlainText"><span lang=3D"EN-US"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoPlainText"><span lang=3D"EN-US">So, since the light grey rec=
tangle IS the clickable border of this UI component and it does not have su=
fficient contrast with the white background, would it fail WCAG 1.4.11?<o:p=
></o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span lang=3D"EN-US"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span lang=3D"EN-US"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span lang=3D"EN-US">Cat Ailanjian<o:p></o:p></span>=
</p>
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