Hypothesis Accessibility and Usability Information
Get help
- This is not a university-supported tool. For accessibility or usability assistance for Hypothesis, please contact the vendor, Hypothesis.
- Contact the DoIT Help Desk for best-effort support, such as browser troubleshooting. Reach the Help Desk by phone at 608.264.4357, email at help@doit.wisc.edu or visit their KnowledgeBase.
Accessibility and usability barriers
The following barriers were identified in an August 2024 evaluation. This is not a comprehensive list of barriers. Our team evaluates common user flows, looking for patterns of barriers. We do not evaluate the entire application.
Screen reader barriers limit access for individuals using screen readers, such as people who are blind or who have a learning disability
Figure 1 caption: The highlighted text produced a state change that was not announced by the screen reader. A user had to back up and re-read to hear that any text had been highlighted.
The tester was not able to get VoiceOver to select text with keyboard shortcuts, and had to use a mouse to test the state change to highlighted text. Vendor documentation indicates that screen reader use should be possible, but the tester was not able to complete the tasks of highlighting and annotating via screen reader.
Magnification and reflow barriers exist, creating barriers for people with low vision
Figure 2 caption: Hypothesis magnified to 175%. By 175% magnification, a user can no longer read the reference text. WCAG 2.1 AA requires features to be usable at 400% magnification.
Some contrast barriers exist, creating barriers for people with low vision or who are color blind
Figure 3 caption: The existing placeholder text (“enter comment” and “add new tags”) has a color contrast ratio of 2.54:1. Regular-sized text should have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 to pass minimum color contrast requirements per WCAG 2.1 AA (or a minimum ratio of 3:1 for large text, at least 18pt or 14pt bold).
The dark gray button that says “Post to Leah Bowers Sandbox Course” has a 2.88:1 color contrast ratio, which does not pass minimum color contrast requirements per WCAG 2.1 AA.