text size
GUIDELINES 1.4.4
Who is impacted?
Users with low vision conditions or visually impaired are primarily impacted.
How to test?
Re-size the text-size only, rather than all the content on the page. In your browser, go to settings, appearance, and then font-size to adjust the sizing.
Resources
Scaling
Ensuring that users are able to scale text without having to scale the entire contents of the web page is important. If users do not have the proper technology to scale that the author uses, it is the author’s job to ensure that scaling functionality is available for the users’ technology as well. It is also important that content that is scaled remains in its boundaries.
Content satisfies this criterion if it can be scaled up to 200% (twice the width and height). While additional scaling is allowed, it is not recommended as it would introduce usability and possible visual issues.
Spacing
Spacing is just as important as scaling. Without proper line or text spacing, it can lead to a poor user reading experience. The following text style properties help to lead to better legibility, and no loss of content or functionality.
- Line height (line spacing) to at least 1.5x the font size.
- Spacing following paragraphs at least 2x the font size.
- Letter spacing (tracking) to at least 0.12x the font size.
- Word spacing to at least 0.16x the font size.