Caution
This document is an English translation of the “freee Accessibility Guidelines.” The normative version of this document is in Japanese, and the English version is informational. The English translation is incomplete, and any links with their link texts left in Japanese are untranslated. Please be aware that there may be inaccuracies in the translation or parts that are outdated.
Text
These guidelines are about text information. Text information is, roughly speaking, information in the form of characters. These guidelines do not cover text information that has been rendered as images. For that, see the guidelines for “Images of Text”.
Expressions Not Dependent on Specific Senses
Do not use expressions that rely solely on a specific sense.
- Target Platforms
Web, Mobile
- Intent
Ensure that users with visual impairments and color vision deficiencies can use content.
- Corresponding Success Criteria of WCAG 2.1
Success Criterion 1.3.3 (Level A): Sensory Characteristics
- Supplementary Information
Checklist Items
Check ID: 0032
Descriptions are not based solely on one characteristic such as shape, color, size, visual position, direction, or sound, but use multiple elements for explanations.
Example:
- Expressions to avoid
Items in red are required fields.
Refer to the table on the right
Press the blue button
Press the button in the lower right of the screen
- Acceptable expressions
Items marked with a red asterisk (*) are required fields.
Refer to the table on the right (Table 3)
Press the blue “Save” button
Press the “New” button in the lower right of the screen
- Applicable Stages
Design
- Target Platforms
Web, Mobile
- Severity
[MAJOR]
Expression Using Multiple Visual Elements
When expressing emphasis, quotation, etc. by changing the text color, also use other visual elements like font styles to ensure that the meaning can be understood even if the color cannot be discerned.
- Target Platforms
Web, Mobile
- Intent
Ensure that users with visual impairments or color vision deficiencies can use content.
- Corresponding Success Criteria of WCAG 2.1
Success Criterion 1.4.1 (Level A): Use of Color
- Supplementary Information
- Related FAQs
Checklist Items
Check ID: 0031
The color scheme is designed to not hinder usability even in grayscale display:
Links can be distinguished
The intent of images and text is conveyed
Required items and errors in input forms can be recognized
- Applicable Stages
Design
- Target Platforms
Web, Mobile
- Severity
[MAJOR]
Check ID: 0051
The content is usable when displayed in grayscale, meeting the following:
Links can be identified
The intent of images and text is clear
Required fields and errors in ininput forms can be recognized
- Applicable Stages
Product
- Target Platforms
Web, Mobile
- Severity
[MAJOR]
Appropriate Wording for Headings
Provide headings that describe the topic or purpose.
- Target Platforms
Web, Mobile
- Intent
Ensure that users with visual impairments can easily find the content they are looking for within a page.
- Corresponding Success Criteria of WCAG 2.1
Success Criterion 2.4.6 (Level AA): Headings and Labels
- Supplementary Information
- Related FAQs
Checklist Items
Check ID: 0271
The text of headings appropriately reflects the content.
- Applicable Stages
Design
- Target Platforms
Web, Mobile
- Severity
[NORMAL]
Specify the Primary Language of the Page
Specify the lang
attribute for the html
element appropriately.
- Target Platforms
Web
- Intent
Ensure that speech and braille output is performed appropriately.
- Corresponding Success Criteria of WCAG 2.1
Success Criterion 3.1.1 (Level A): Language of Page
- Supplementary Information
Checklist Items
Check ID: 0611
Japanese pages have the <html lang="ja">
specified.
- Applicable Stages
Code
- Target Platforms
Web
- Severity
[CRITICAL]
Check ID: 0621
The screen reader uses text-to-speech engine of appropriate language when it reads the content.
- Applicable Stages
Product
- Target Platforms
Web
- Severity
[CRITICAL]
Check Procedure: Web
Confirm 0621-axe-01 and 0621-nvda-01 pass below.
0621-axe-01: An Example of Performin the Check with axe DevTools
Confirm that the issue <html> element must have a lang attribute (<html>要素にはlang属性がなければなりません)is not reported by axe DevTools.
If this issue is reported, the <html>
element of the page needs to be modified such as <html lang="ja">
(in the case where the primary language of the page being Japanese)
0621-nvda-01: An Example of Performin the Check with NVDA
Confirm that displayed text is announced without any issue when reading with up and down arrow keys in NVDA’s browse mode.
To perform this check properly, the settings need to be done for processing multiple languages.
Reference Videos: 適切な言語の音声【NVDAでアクセシビリティー チェック】
Explicitly Indicate Partially Used Languages
If the language of a relatively long text, such as a paragraph, is different from the one specified by the lang
attribute of the html
element, specify the lang
attribute appropriately for that part.
- Target Platforms
Web
- Intent
Ensure that speech and braille output is performed appropriately.
- Corresponding Success Criteria of WCAG 2.1
Success Criterion 3.1.2 (Level AA): Language of Parts
- Supplementary Information
Checklist Items
Check ID: 0911
The lang
attribute is correctly specified for text that contains multiple languages.
- Applicable Stages
Code
- Target Platforms
Web
- Severity
[MINOR]
Check ID: 0921
When text containing multiple languages is read out loud using a reading environment that supports multiple languages, the text is read out loud by the appropriate language’s speech engine.
- Applicable Stages
Product
- Target Platforms
Web
- Severity
[MINOR]
Check Procedure: Web
Confirm 0921-nvda-01 passes below.
0921-nvda-01: An Example of Performin the Check with NVDA
Confirm that the voices for reading content change according to the natural language used in the content when reading with arrow keys in NVDA’s browse mode.
Reference Videos: 複数の言語の音声【NVDAでアクセシビリティー チェック】
Explicitly Specify the Language for Text-Displaying UI Components
For UI components that display text, specify the appropriate language or locale if possible.
- Target Platforms
Web, Mobile
- Intent
Ensure that speech and braille output is performed appropriately.
- Corresponding Success Criteria of WCAG 2.1
Success Criterion 3.1.2 (Level AA): Language of Parts
Checklist Items
Check ID: 0912
For UI components that can have their locale specified, the appropriate locale is set.
- Applicable Stages
Code
- Target Platforms
Web, Mobile
- Severity
[MINOR]
Check ID: 0922
The screen reader announces dates, times, numeric values, etc. in a way that is natural in the natural language used in the page or in the application.
- Applicable Stages
Product
- Target Platforms
Web, Mobile
- Severity
[MINOR]
Check Procedure: Web
Confirm 0922-nvda-01 passes below.
0922-nvda-01: An Example of Performin the Check with NVDA
Confirm that all of the following are met when reading date, time, number, etc. using up/down arrow keys in NVDA’s browse mode.
The voice used to read the part is the same as the voice used to read other parts.
The speech output of the part is natural and in line with the language used on the page or in the application. (eg. “Jan 1” would not be read as “1月1日” if the primary language of the page is English.)
200 Percent Magnification Using Zoom Function
Ensure that content and functions can be magnified to 200 percent using the browser’s zoom function without loss of content or functionality.
- Target Platforms
Web
- Intent
Ensure that users with low vision can use content without problems.
- Corresponding Success Criteria of WCAG 2.1
Success Criterion 1.4.4 (Level AA): Resize text
- Supplementary Information
Checklist Items
Check ID: 0321
Magnifying text up to 200 percent using the zoom function of the browser does not cause layout collapses that interfere with understanding of the text.
- Applicable Stages
Product
- Target Platforms
Web
- Severity
[MAJOR]
Change Text Size Settings
Ensure that the content is appropriately magnified and remains comprehensible and functional, without any disruption in display, even when the browser’s text size setting is increased to 200 percent.
- Target Platforms
Web
- Intent
Some individuals with low vision use the text size changing function, rather than the browser’s zoom feature, to enlarge content. Ensure that this does not hinder the usage for such users.
- Corresponding Success Criteria of WCAG 2.1
Success Criterion 1.4.4 (Level AA): Resize text
- Supplementary Information
Checklist Items
Check ID: 0311
In CSS size specifications, absolute value specifications (e.g., px) and relative value specifications (e.g., rem) are not mixed.
- Applicable Stages
Code
- Target Platforms
Web
- Severity
[NORMAL]
Check ID: 0323
Setting font size to 200 percent in browser’s font size settings does not cause layout collapses that interfere with understanding of the text.
- Applicable Stages
Product
- Target Platforms
Web
- Severity
[NORMAL]
Check ID: 0324
Setting font size to 200 percent in browser’s font size settings does not cause layout collapses that interfere with understanding of the text, and actually magnifies the text to 200 percent.
- Applicable Stages
Product
- Target Platforms
Web
- Severity
[MINOR]
Change Text Size Settings of Mobile OS
Ensure that the content is appropriately magnified and remains comprehensible and functional, without any disruption in display, even when the text size setting of the mobile OS is increased to the maximum.
- Target Platforms
Mobile
- Intent
Ensure that for individuals with low vision, when the text size enlargement setting is enabled in the OS, the content is appropriately magnified and there are no disruptions in usage, such as display distortion.
- Corresponding Success Criteria of WCAG 2.1
Success Criterion 1.4.4 (Level AA): Resize text
Checklist Items
Check ID: 0325
When supporting text magnification, displaying at the maximum text size does not result in display issues that make it difficult to use.
- Applicable Stages
Product
- Target Platforms
Mobile
- Severity
[MINOR]
Check ID: 0326
When the maximum text size is specified in the OS settings, layout issues that interfere with understanding and use of content do not occur.
- Applicable Stages
Product
- Target Platforms
Mobile
- Severity
[NORMAL]
400 Percent Magnification Using Zoom Function
Ensure that even when using the browser’s zoom function to magnify to 400 percent, horizontal scrolling is not required for content designed for vertical scrolling like horizontally written content, and vertical scrolling is not required for content designed for horizontal scrolling like vertically written content.
- Target Platforms
Web
- Intent
Ensure that individuals with low vision can use the content without issues, even when magnifying it with the zoom function.
- Corresponding Success Criteria of WCAG 2.1
Success Criterion 1.4.10 (Level AA): Reflow
- Supplementary Information
Checklist Items
Check ID: 0322
Magnifying content to 400 percent using the zoom function of the browser on a 1280x1024 window reflows the content properly and
no horizontal scrolling is necessary on left-to-right content, and no vertical scrolling is necessary on top-to-bottom content, and
there is no unreadable content or unusable functionality
- Applicable Stages
Product
- Target Platforms
Web
- Severity
[MINOR]
Customization of Text Display
Ensure that there is no loss of content or functionality when the user changes the line-height
to 1.5em or more, the space following a paragraph to 2em or more, and the letter-spacing
to 0.12em or more, and does not change any other properties.
- Target Platforms
Web
- Intent
Ensure that users with low vision can use content without problems.
- Corresponding Success Criteria of WCAG 2.1
Success Criterion 1.4.12 (Level AA): Text Spacing
- Supplementary Information
Checklist Items
Check ID: 0891
Applying user CSS that changes line-height to 1.5em or more, spacing following paragraphs to 2em or more, and letter-spacing to 0.12em or more does not cause loss of content or functionality, such as changing the display order or making the content unreadable.
- Applicable Stages
Product
- Target Platforms
Web
- Severity
[NORMAL]
Ensure Sufficient Contrast Ratio
Ensure sufficient contrast between the colors of text and their background colors.
For text size 29px (22pt) or larger: a contrast ratio of at least 3:1.
For bold text 24px (18pt) or larger: a contrast ratio of at least 3:1.
In other cases: a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1.
Note: In freee products and websites, Japanese is mainly used, so the criteria indicated in the translation notes in Understanding WCAG 2.1 [1] [2] are used.
- Target Platforms
Web
- Intent
Ensure that users with low vision can use the content.
- Corresponding Success Criteria of WCAG 2.1
Success Criterion 1.4.3 (Level AA): Contrast (Minimum)
Success Criterion 1.4.6 (Level AAA): Contrast (Enhanced)
- Supplementary Information
Checklist Items
Check ID: 0002
Sufficient contrast ratios are ensured for the display colors and background colors of text and images of text.
For text size 29px (22pt) or larger: at least 3:1
For bold text size 24px (18pt) or larger: at least 3:1
In other cases: at least 4.5:1
- Applicable Stages
Design
- Target Platforms
Web
- Severity
[NORMAL]
Check ID: 0021
Sufficient contrast ratio is maintained between the display color of the text and the background color.
- Applicable Stages
Product
- Target Platforms
Web, Mobile
- Severity
[NORMAL]
Check Procedure: Web
Confirm 0021-axe-01 or 0021-webaim-01 passes below.
0021-axe-01: An Example of Performin the Check with axe DevTools
Confirm that the issue Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholds (要素は色のコントラスト比(最低限)の閾値を満たしていなければなりません)is not reported by axe DevTools.
Note that no issue is reported in the following cases, even when the guidelines are not met.
When the contrast ratio is insufficient after the text and/or background color change, e.g. after mouse hover
When the contrast ratio of large-scale text is 3:1 or more and less than 4.5:1
While large-scale text is defined as 29px(22pt) or larger font, or 24px(18pt) or larger bold font within freee’s product as the primary text is assumed to be in Japanese, WCAG defines it as 18pt or larger font, or 14pt or larger bold font assuming euro-languages. As Axe DevTools is based on the requirements set by the WCAG, it cannot detect insufficient color contrast of Japanese text whose font size is between 18pt and 22pt (14pt and 18pt if bold).
When the contrast ratio of non-text content is insufficient.
icons, images, images of text, outlines of buttons and input fields, etc.
Insufficient contrast ratio of the actual colors being seen, when different colors appear to blend into a new color due to overlapping translucent elements.
When it is difficult to identify the background and foreground colors in overlapping elements.
0021-webaim-01: An Example of Performin the Check with WebAIM Contrast Checker
Verify the content meets the following color contrast requirement using the WebAIM Color Contrast Checker:
Font Size: 29px(22pt)or larger; 3:1 or higher
Font Size: 24px(18pt)or larger and bold; 3:1 or higher
In other cases:4.5:1 or higher
Ensure Sufficient Contrast Ratio on Mobile OS
Ensure sufficient contrast between the colors of text and their background colors.
For text size 24px (18pt) or larger: a contrast ratio of at least 3:1.
For bold text 19px (14pt) or larger: a contrast ratio of at least 3:1.
In other cases: a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1.
Note: In mobile applications, it is assumed that methods for changing text size are more widely known compared to desktop web, and the guidelines of each platform [3] [4] also use standards in line with WCAG 2.1, hence the above criteria are set.
- Target Platforms
Mobile
- Intent
Ensure that users with low vision can use the content.
- Corresponding Success Criteria of WCAG 2.1
Success Criterion 1.4.3 (Level AA): Contrast (Minimum)
Success Criterion 1.4.6 (Level AAA): Contrast (Enhanced)
- Supplementary Information
Checklist Items
Check ID: 0003
Sufficient contrast ratios are ensured for the display colors and background colors of text and images of text.
For text size 24px (18pt) or larger: at least 3:1
For bold text size 19px (14pt) or larger: at least 3:1
In other cases: at least 4.5:1
- Applicable Stages
Design
- Target Platforms
Mobile
- Severity
[NORMAL]
Check ID: 0021
Sufficient contrast ratio is maintained between the display color of the text and the background color.
- Applicable Stages
Product
- Target Platforms
Web, Mobile
- Severity
[NORMAL]