Need to improve the visual ease of access functions in Quicken 2018 (5 Legacy Votes)

Pete B

In Quicken Premier 2018 for Win 7 Pro, the colors used for the entire software display screens are very difficult to see for people like me who have limited visual acuity, especially regarding the very bright white backgrounds of the application screens with **very** light and dim font colors. 

I have a very hard time even seeing any of the characters used for the labels, info, function titles, menus, messages, etc. due to the very light font colors on a bright white background.  For people with problems like mine, the lettering and other characters etc. are just a very dim blur on the glaring bright white background due to the extremely low contrast between the foreground and background displays..

Most software nowadays corrects this problem with an ease of access utility that allows users to adjust screen and font foreground, background colors, and style, color and size of fonts, menus, etc. so that the software is comfortable to use, even often providing an ability to display the entire application in a high contrast reverse-color mode.. 

This lack of visual clarity would not be as severe a problem, for example, if the software screens even simply adjusted the display to accommodate the users who switch to a high-contrast display mode in Windows, but no such functionality is provided;  the only recognition by Quicken of the user display mode is with the software borders and window menus, the main display does not adjust.

I would hope that someone at Quicken would recognize this problem and give us folks with vision problems some help.  I have another financial program, [removed] (acquired mainly because of this Quicken problem), which has an excellent set of functions allowing users to adjust all the displays for registers, reports, menus, options, etc. to the full range of Windows colors desired by the user;  if for example I prefer a black screen background with white or yellow lettering on a dark grey register background, it is very simple to do.  Such accessibility would be a great improvement for Quicken.

Pete B

splasher

I agree and I don't even have any visual impairments. 

Pete B

So you can imagine how difficult it is for someone like myself who has vision acuity problems.

Some of this I blame on Microsoft for their leap to all things Aero with Win 7.  There were never such problems with WinXP and earlier versions of Windows.  MS glamorized the switch to frothy, misty, barely legible screen displays without considering the consequences for such as us.  When I first started using Win 7, the first thing I had to do was find a util that provided a means for me to replace the Windows Logon screen, because it was so "misty" with its very bright very light blue background and very light white text that I could not even read any messages or such on it, hampering my ability to see error messages, etc. 

As well, this problem is not exclusive to Quicken;  I have some other software that I use, such as my antivirus software, that presents the same visual access problems. I also continue to use some versions of other software that are outdated, simply because the updated versions switched to this new misty look.

But I realize too that it would be no easy task to incorporate a whole range of improved ease of access functionality to the present Quicken product, but if every tablet and phone maker, and browser makers like Firefox and Chrome, Adobe and FoxitPHANTOM PDF utils, and even MS itself in its other products, can do it, why should not Quicken be able to do the same?

There are a number of screens in Quicken that are just unusable for me due to my inability to discern the controls and such on the screens, and some of these may be necessary to use if something gets problematic in the software. 

I had another problem with Quicken a short while back, necessitating me to enlist the aid of their customer support. I actually had a tech person remotely viewing my Quicken screens to diagnose and correct the problem;  it was pathetic that I had to have her literally instruct me how to move my mouse cursor on the screens to access the various controls and other functions because I was totally unable to discern what was actually present on the screens. 

Fortunately, she was very patient and helpful and we resolved all my issues, but it was not without great difficulty and it took more time than should have been needed.  Had it not been for that, I may have had to abandon using Quicken until or unless I could find someone to help me with seeing the screens and resolving the issues for me.

So let us hope that someone at Quicken attends to the issue here.

Thanks

Pete B

mshiggins

Pete B said:

So you can imagine how difficult it is for someone like myself who has vision acuity problems.

Some of this I blame on Microsoft for their leap to all things Aero with Win 7.  There were never such problems with WinXP and earlier versions of Windows.  MS glamorized the switch to frothy, misty, barely legible screen displays without considering the consequences for such as us.  When I first started using Win 7, the first thing I had to do was find a util that provided a means for me to replace the Windows Logon screen, because it was so "misty" with its very bright very light blue background and very light white text that I could not even read any messages or such on it, hampering my ability to see error messages, etc. 

As well, this problem is not exclusive to Quicken;  I have some other software that I use, such as my antivirus software, that presents the same visual access problems. I also continue to use some versions of other software that are outdated, simply because the updated versions switched to this new misty look.

But I realize too that it would be no easy task to incorporate a whole range of improved ease of access functionality to the present Quicken product, but if every tablet and phone maker, and browser makers like Firefox and Chrome, Adobe and FoxitPHANTOM PDF utils, and even MS itself in its other products, can do it, why should not Quicken be able to do the same?

There are a number of screens in Quicken that are just unusable for me due to my inability to discern the controls and such on the screens, and some of these may be necessary to use if something gets problematic in the software. 

I had another problem with Quicken a short while back, necessitating me to enlist the aid of their customer support. I actually had a tech person remotely viewing my Quicken screens to diagnose and correct the problem;  it was pathetic that I had to have her literally instruct me how to move my mouse cursor on the screens to access the various controls and other functions because I was totally unable to discern what was actually present on the screens. 

Fortunately, she was very patient and helpful and we resolved all my issues, but it was not without great difficulty and it took more time than should have been needed.  Had it not been for that, I may have had to abandon using Quicken until or unless I could find someone to help me with seeing the screens and resolving the issues for me.

So let us hope that someone at Quicken attends to the issue here.

Thanks

Pete B

Pete B, you may want to consider signing up to beta test. There has been some effort in recent years to make Quicken more accessible for vision impaired users who use screen readers.


Your input on how to make Quicken easier to use for folks with impaired vision would be helpful.


Info on how to sign up is here:
https://www.quicken.com/support/how-d...

Pete B

Well, the problem with that is that, as I describe above, I would likely only be able to evaluate the ease of visual access functionality, because without that ability I cannot really operate the software well enough to determine its overall performance in other respects.

However, if you think that limited evaluation would help, I will go ahead and offer my services to that group, and we will see what comes of it...

Pete B

Pete B

Pete B said:

Well, the problem with that is that, as I describe above, I would likely only be able to evaluate the ease of visual access functionality, because without that ability I cannot really operate the software well enough to determine its overall performance in other respects.

However, if you think that limited evaluation would help, I will go ahead and offer my services to that group, and we will see what comes of it...

Pete B

After looking at the info on the beta test site, I do not think the folks there are looking for someone such as me.  The reqs seem to indicate that the site operators will determine the parameters of the software they want you to test, rather than me just stipulating that I could only be able to work toward increased accessibility for viually impaired users.  So, unless you can consult with them and determine differently, I am afraid I will have to pass on this. It was a good idea, and within the limits I stated I would be glad to help, so let me know if the development team needs someone like myself.

Pete B

mshiggins

Pete B said:

Well, the problem with that is that, as I describe above, I would likely only be able to evaluate the ease of visual access functionality, because without that ability I cannot really operate the software well enough to determine its overall performance in other respects.

However, if you think that limited evaluation would help, I will go ahead and offer my services to that group, and we will see what comes of it...

Pete B

Pete, they need all sorts of testers and different types of testing. There is generally some structured testing, but one of the best testing methods is just trying to use Quicken to do your normal Quicken activities. It's not a long term commitment - unless you want it to be. You could sign up and try it out, then drop out if you feel like it's not working out.

binam@

I'm getting on in years and my eyes are not as good as they once were. As a result I have a great deal of difficulty seeing the "washed out" pages of the program and in particular the light blue and light pink print of the program. Really wish you would offer a setting in the program to set it up for "dark black" and "bold" print so I could see what's on my screen. Been using Quicken for the last 15 years - couldn't live without it - and would really like to more easily see what's on my screen.

Other programs I use have an option to do this and it really helps in using them.

Jim_Harman

You are talking about viewing the program on your screen, not printing on paper, right?  If so would you mind if I change the title of you post to "High contrast viewing option ..."?

Also you might want to experiment with the settings in Edit > Preferences > Colors and the Gray reconciled transactions setting in Edit > Preferences > Register to see if any of those make things better for you..

Unknown

I have QUICKEN 2018.  For me, the light blue color of the font in the ACCOUNT window is too light.  I changed the font on the register side, but that did not affect the ACCOUNT window. Is there a way to change the font in the ACCOUNT window?

Rollan Gongwer

I don't know how the percent your users who are elderly but as we live longer Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is becoming a major problem with the elderly. The ability to change fonts over a range as well as the contrast and the darkness of print would greatly help those suffering with this problem. I have AMD and make many mistakes mis-reading numbers due to the font size, contrast and darkness of the print. If all were adjustable within a range setting it would be most helpful. I know you can have one adjustment to a large print but that causes difficulties with some of the other functions. A range of adjustments would give much greater flexibility.

Thanks for your consideration.

Dr. Rollan Gongwer, O.D., F.A.A.O.,
an elderly retired Optometrist.

Quicken Anja

Hello All,

The Community Support team regularly reviews long-standing posts and Ideas for relevancy and current interest. This Idea seems to have stalled and we would like to gauge the current interest in this request. 

If you would like to see this idea implemented, please add your vote and a comment explaining how this idea would be beneficial for you. More information, including steps to vote and how to submit your own Ideas for future product features/improvements, is also available here.

Thank you,

Quicken Community Support Team

Rocket J Squirrel

Quicken has mostly ignored accessibility forever. I voted for this idea, but I appear to be the only one.

Sophielei

I too have contrast issues. The register side is ok if I fiddle with the colors, although the 'balance' column is difficult to see. But I need a magnifying glass to see the Account Bar display. You can do just about anything with computers now and Quicken users should be able to control the contrast throughout all the Quicken screens. Even Windows now allows me to do this but it doesn't include all software programs.

muchy1

Please make the account font color and size options as they are in the registers.

dlk

Get someone older than say 60 to show the kids & supervisors that are responsible for the coding what is required instead of them deciding what is "perfectly fine". They can't make these judgements themselves because they can see anything. It is obvious in every electronic device made.

TTSguy

I too am experiencing problems. I have a larger, high quality, 27" curved Samsung gaming display along with a Nvidia 1660 gaming card that I am adamant about keeping updated. Even with that, and all the adjustments it's difficult.

I have found that the Segoe UI Semibold font works the best. I have it set for 9 pt. For me  I only have "Amount" and "Balance" columns checked where the Red and Black directly on top of each other supply a greater contrast.

Another issue is that when I go through reading Posts,  I cannot discern what page I'm actually on. The number boxes across the bottom are not discernable enough. I found that when I am looking through Posts, I "have" to use the Windows Night Light function set to 50% to add just a little orange to the page number so as to know what page number I'm on. With all this it's barely doable for me. If I'm looking at a site or app that uses dark mode, then go to Quicken, then I have to step away from the display for a few minutes first, or I cannot use Quicken.

I hope some of this info can be used by other to "help" just a little. I've also been known to use my Oakley bronze sunglasses for instant relief (slight) for the brightness and for better contrast.

Henry Chadwick

This is still a problem for me. As I get older my vision is getting worse andf I have reached the point where I will have to abandon Quicken if there is no action to provide some visual accessibility features kinto Quicken. I have used it for a long time and do not want to abandon it, so please help.

Roone77

Bought a HP Envy 17.3" laptop thinking it would help with Quicken and Excel. Went from Dell 15.6" laptop and also downloaded new Quicken, thinking it would be better than my 2016 version. Like others are saying, the font and colors blend together. Have adjusted the check register but the Investing page is almost unreadable. Give us a little more control of the font and colors please.

robertmills03255

I too would agree the screen resolution in Quicken is a long standing issue (except in the DOS version @ 800x600), it is not my monitor or laptop. I would vote as quicken requests, but fact is the cost to change the UI to be using code that is not from the 80's is expensive and loaded with risk. I'll bet the reason it has been pushed to the back burner and will remain there is profit driven and not about the hundreds who take the time to offer constructive feedback on an overall great product. I wonder if ADA laws might be one avenue to "encourage" updating the user experience?

David Annan

I was hopping to find instructions on how to change my Quicken display to a high Contrast, or other easier to see display, Took me an hour to get to here only to note that many have the same issue but no solution to it, so I'm soon going to need to find a different Program, or this one needs to get fixed ! I've used this for a long long time but just started having vision issues in the last two years.

Rocket J Squirrel

@David Annan

I was hoping to find instructions on how to change my Quicken display to a high Contrast, or other easier to see display

Quicken can't do it, but Windows can. Under Color Filters, you can choose Grayscale Inverted and get a high contrast display.

UKR

There's another long running discussion on this subject matter:
Dark Mode for Quicken for Windows

According to the vote count on page 1 of this discussion, the status is marked as "Planned".
You might want to review this discussion and bookmark it to receive further updates.

razman5663

The white background is too much for my visual impairment. It is very difficult to read the dark letters/numbers on the bright background. I use my PC in high contrast mode as it is much easier for me to see light colored letters on a dark background. It would greatly help if Quicken could have a way to switch the contrast between numbers/letters and its background.

pebbles

The low level of contrast is a pain and I don't suffer from visual impairment (although I can appreciate how doubly frustrating it is with an impairment.) I kept Quicken 2003 forever because of this — it was a great program and much, much easier to see. What is so hard about fixing this, Quicken?

veegee

@Pete B @UKR @Rocket J Squirrel

I agree with everyone's pain here. Three things are needed:

• implementation of dark mode
• implementation of foreground / background colors in all panes/pop-ups (or a single overall setting)
• implementation of font size (+bold/italic etc.) in all panes/pop-ups (or a single overall setting) - currently available for register only

The first one (dark mode) is planned but no ETA. Even if dark mode is implemented, second may be required. Second may remove or reduce the need for the first one. Third is needed no matter what, IMO.

veegee

@Pete B @splasher @binam@ @Unknown @Rollan Gongwer @Rocket J Squirrel @Sophielei @muchy1 @dlk @TTSguy @Henry Chadwick @Roone77 @robertmills03255 @David Annan @razman5663 @pebbles

I agree with all those who expressed this pain in different ways in this thread. I upvoted on this thread.

To me, multiple changes are needed:

1) Implement Dark Mode - this is in 'Planned' state with no ETA. But this only solves part of the issue. Full selection of font color/background color would be much better.

2) Implement user selectable font size/bold/italic & colors for all panes and pop-ups. This is now available for registers only. A single setting for all panes/popups is fine (with me).

muchy1

Excellent suggestions from all. Over the years I have sent requests asking that Quicken screens be made easier to read, but nothing meaningful has ever been done. I know nothing about computer programming (coding nowadays), but I wonder if the program Quicken uses is just too old to allow making the necessary changes. If that's really the case, and Quicken would have to be totally reprogrammed, we might as well forget about it.