For the record, I have such a screen: a Samsung SyncMaster B2030, about 6 years old. Several of Now UI's widgets (form placeholders, disabled input labels, tab labels on white background) are nearly unreadable on this screen.
I actually checked (using [1]) the contrast ratio of some of these widgets, and they work out to very low numbers:
- Form placeholders - #ddd on #fff - contrast ratio 1.4:1
- Labels of disabled checkboxes - #9a9a9a on #fff - ratio 2.8:1
- Tab labels - #b8b8b8 on #fff - 2.0:1
This is far lower than the W3C's recommended minimum ratio of 4.5:1 [2] for text smaller than 24px. And since the font weight is often lower than normal, the perceived contrast ratio is even lower than the figures above suggest. I think the contrast needs major improvements for decent UX.
I actually checked (using [1]) the contrast ratio of some of these widgets, and they work out to very low numbers:
- Form placeholders - #ddd on #fff - contrast ratio 1.4:1
- Labels of disabled checkboxes - #9a9a9a on #fff - ratio 2.8:1
- Tab labels - #b8b8b8 on #fff - 2.0:1
This is far lower than the W3C's recommended minimum ratio of 4.5:1 [2] for text smaller than 24px. And since the font weight is often lower than normal, the perceived contrast ratio is even lower than the figures above suggest. I think the contrast needs major improvements for decent UX.
PS: http://contrastrebellion.com/
[1]: http://leaverou.github.io/contrast-ratio/#%23dddddd-on-white
[2]: https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG/#visual-audio-contrast