Guides / 05—08
Check input boundaries, icons and essential graphics
Non-text contrast concerns objects carrying information, rather than every decoration.
Identify essential cues
An input border may be needed to find a field. A check mark, status icon or graph segment may carry meaning. WCAG AA generally calls for 3:1 against adjacent colors for such essential visual information.
Test touching colors
Check an icon against its background and a control outline against surrounding surfaces. Text inside a control is checked separately against text thresholds. Very thin strokes can appear fainter on screen than a solid-color calculation suggests.
Separate decoration
A shadow or ornament not required to understand or operate the interface does not automatically have the same requirement. Record why an element exists so review goes beyond a single page-wide score.