Preferences and accessible authoring

Adjust the workspace for your own comfort, then check the course separately for the people who will use it.

Workspace preferences

Preferences include canvas colors, divider visibility, Developer Mode, the AI Assist pop-up on text selection, and comment pins. These settings apply to your browser’s workspace; they don’t change course content.

Workspace appearance changes app appearance. This help center has its own System, Light, and Dark options. Screenshots show light app appearance even when you’re reading the guide in dark mode.

Author checks

Use these checks while building and reviewing your course:

• Write headings and links that describe their purpose.
• Give informative images meaningful text alternatives.
• Check that course colors are readable. Learning Studio flags low text contrast for you.
• Write assessment feedback that explains how to improve.
• Test keyboard access and narrow layouts.

Decorative separators are hidden from assistive technology. If content communicates meaning, provide a text equivalent so learners don’t have to rely on its appearance alone.

Course palettes and help

Open Course settings for the Aster, Harbor, Grove, and Ember Light/Dark palettes. App appearance stays independent of course appearance. Contextual Help & docs controls open the relevant guide in a new tab.

Check text contrast

Learning Studio checks text contrast against WCAG 1.4.3 in three places.

Course colors. Under the theme colors in Course settings, a list shows each color pair with its ratio and the minimum it needs, for example “Text on background: 16.08:1 (needs 4.5:1)”. Text on the background or panel and headings on the background need 4.5:1. The accent color needs 3:1 against the background and panel. A ✓ marks a passing pair and a ✗ a failing one.

Selected block. When a block’s own text color fails against its background on any device, the inspector shows an Accessibility alert with the ratio and the minimum. Choose Use a readable text color to remove that text color so the block uses an automatic readable one. When the theme’s text color would fail on a block’s background, the inspector notes that the block already uses a readable text color automatically.

Review. Review in the editor toolbar lists low-contrast warnings for block text colors, for failing course color pairs, and for button labels on the accent color when the course uses filled buttons or quizzes. Selecting a block warning opens that block.

Alerts and Review warnings round ratios down, so a failing ratio never displays as passing. A passing contrast check covers text color only; it doesn’t establish the accessibility of images, interactions, or authored text.

Motion

Learners can turn off Course animations in the course player. Device reduced-motion preferences take precedence. Authors can compare the static result with Reduced-motion preview in Motion preview. Keep instructions and results understandable without animation.

Use Review to find issues it checks for, alongside your own accessibility review. A clear checklist isn’t a complete accessibility certification.