Julieanne King tells us that super thin, font strokes, really, really skinny lettering, and using like a medium gray font color cause a problem for a lot of users on the web.
Thanks to Tenon for sponsoring the transcript for this episode.
Transcript
Nic
Hi, I’m Nic Steenhout. And you’re listening to the accessibility rules soundbites, a series of short podcasts where disabled people explain their impairment, and what barriers they encounter on the web.
Nic
I want to thank Tenon for sponsoring the transcript for this episode, Tenon provide accessibility as a service. They offer testing, training and tooling to help fix accessibility, fast. Today, I’m talking with Julieanne King. Hi, Julieanne, how are you?
Julieanne
Hi, thanks for having me back. Again.
Nic
I’m very happy. You had some interesting things to say late last time we spoke and I think you have some interesting things to say today. Last time, you spoke a little bit about ADHD and high sensitivity. So for the purpose of this episode, what is your disability or impairment?
Julieanne
Age related reduction in visual acuity, I need reading glasses and more contrast.
Nic
Okay, so you would say this is not just like, everybody, I mean, so many people just need glasses. You’re talking about having this as really reaching impairment level of condition?
Julieanne
On the web, yes, it is reaching that place. For many people as we age.
Nic
Tell me a little bit about the greatest barrier on the web related to that, then.
Julieanne
Super thin, font strokes, really, really skinny lettering, and using like a medium gray font color. Because even when you use assistive technology to try and increase the color, it’s not always successful, because websites are not coded for it. And they don’t let me make that adjustment. So I can actually read the article, read the news. Read the instructions, the information I need from that particular site.
Nic
Funny thing I’ve noticed, especially with really thin fonts is that they often technically meet color contrast requirements from the web content accessibility guidelines, but because they’re so thin, they just blend in the background and become so hard to read.
Julieanne
Oh, yeah, even even magnified, I struggle with it. And I’ll zoom in to 200%. And still, I’m struggling and the shade is… Well, for me, I really like if I’m looking at a white screen, I want black font, because even if it’s a dark gray, when I get done reading, I am visually and physically fatigued, from straining to try and make it out. It is very, very effortful. And I have to step away from the computer for a while and you know, I work on the computer.
Julieanne
It is it is a real problem, this trend of very thin letters and you know, again, that gray font, and they tend towards a medium font are the ones that are the hardest.
Nic
What’s the solution here, though? Because you have… You state that you prefer black text on white background, but that can be harsh on the eyes of other people who may prefer a dark gray on white or…
Julieanne
Exactly.
Nic
Other color combinations. So how do we how do we reconcile your needs with somebody else’s needs?
Julieanne
Thicker font strokes, thicker letters, if they’re thicker, if it’s not so thin, where the colors color sort of bleeds out on the edges, where the dark part is just one pixel right up the middle? You know, the thicker fonts are helpful that way. And sometimes I can make those changes with my browser with my operating system. And sometimes I can’t. And it’s the ones that I can’t that are super, super fatiguing, where it’s something I absolutely have to consume.
Nic
This goes back to give users control over what they need, right?
Julieanne
Yes, it does.
Nic
Yeah. So what would be one message you would have for designers and developers?
Julieanne
Allow for user control, allow us to do high contrast, to choose our own color schemes for buttons, links, text, the background. I like the sites that allow me to do that. So they can still have their style that they they want for the you know, the largest body of consumers that come on their site, but it allows me to then make it functional for me to consume. And so having the ability to have that coding in the background work so that I can change what I need to change is absolutely key for that. And I’m in the process of like teaching my mom how to do that, because she’s older than I am. And doesn’t, you know, she’s on the computer all the time. Yeah, but doesn’t know how to do that in her eye sites even farther than mine. And so it’s, you know, as I’ve learned, some of these techniques, I’m super excited to then go help her understand what’s available to help her a lot of the times, but not all of the time.
Nic
That’s wonderful. Julieanne, thank you so much for being a guest on the show again this time, and I’ll see you around on the web.
Julieanne
Awesome. Thank you.