OS: High Contrast versus Inverted Colors
November 24, 2017; 5 Comments
Low resolution screen shots combined to show the same page as seen using Windows High Contrast Mode and macOS Invert Colors settings.
There are different ways to make a web page more easy to read, but there are two options that come directly from the operating system that many developers and designers seem to confuse — high contrast and inverted colors.
While the confusion may not be a big deal in most contexts, when talking about implementing support for each it can be critical to know which one you are targeting. Those of who practice the dark arts of accessibility want to be as precise as possible when testing and implementing.
This post is not a judgment about either approach. They both are useful for users in different contexts and do what each says on the tin.
Windows High Contrast Mode
Since Windows 7, users have had the option to apply a color scheme in Windows that reduces the total system colors to a smaller set with much greater contrast than otherwise. While there are some pre-set themes, users can customize the colors as they see fit. The keyboard shortcut to enable [...]