Check colour accessibility
You can find out if colours are accessible by testing the colour contrast.
Our Design System has guidance on the accessible colour palette we use for Scottish Government websites and the colour customisation organisations across Scottish Government can use.
What to do
You can use Windows High Contrast Mode (HCM) to check if colours are used to communicate meaning. HCM changes the colours used by Windows to shades of grey. This makes it obvious when colour is the only way that meaning is communicated.
You should:
- go to 'Ease of Access' and turn on High Contrast Mode (HCM), then look at the content
- check the contrast of text against its background using the Colour Contrast Analyser (CCA) or tanaguru contrast finder
- check the contrast of colours next to each other – like in charts and diagrams
What to look for
Check that:
- content makes sense when HCM is turned on – if any information is communicated using colour alone, it will not make sense in HCM
- the colour of text against its background passes the Colour Contrast Analyser check
Why this matters
When colours don't stand out it can make content hard for people to read. This might be because they have low vision or because they wear glasses to help them see better.
When information is only communicated using colour, people who can't see or who can't tell certain colours apart will miss out on the information.
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