Young Gun Jang

The KIPS Transactions:PartB , Vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 471-478, Aug. 2006
10.3745/KIPSTB.2006.13.4.471,   PDF Download:

Abstract

In this paper, two color contrast evaluation algorithms, W3C and NSSC algorithms are compared and investigated to select proper criteria of the color contrast of text-background color combinations in web documents. The relationship between the color contrast defined by existing formula and the readability rating is not perfect and there is quite a bit of variance, in particular, there is some substantial outlier. I modify the NSSC algorithm to apply all colors and compare the two algorithms to apply same color combinations of web safe colors. A new algorithm considering color temperature feeling as a component of the color contrast is proposed and implemented. As the results of this study, the existing two algorithms are not contradictory to each other, 82% of all color combinations of web safe colors are not proper combinations according to W3C guide which provide severe restriction to select colors in web documents compared to NSSC algorithm. Experimental test shows proposed algorithm is superior to the W3C algorithm with respect to the linearity of relationship between color contrast and readability rating. It means a color temperature feeling is an effective component of a color contrast. But to determine best contribution ratio of the color temperature feeling, further study is required and it is related to Hangul font style and size. The more popular a mobile color display is used, the more important accessibility factor a color contrast will be.

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