Text alternatives are an essential aspect of digital accessibility.
They make content on the web usable for everyone, including people with disabilities.
If you have difficulty perceiving non-text elements on a webpage, like images or videos, text alternatives can provide the same information in a text format.
This includes users who are visually impaired, as text can be translated into braille or spoken through text-to-speech software.
When creating content, it’s important to consider how your message can be communicated in different forms.
Text alternatives are not just descriptions; they fulfill the same function as the non-text content, whether it’s to convey information or provide a link to another page.
They also aid in understanding for users who are deaf or hard of hearing when non-text content is auditory.
Being mindful of text alternatives means ensuring that your digital content is inclusive, allowing more people to engage with your work effectively.
Implementing Text Alternatives
Incorporating text alternatives for non-text content is critical for accessibility.
It ensures that all users, regardless of ability, can access the information.
Best Practices in HTML
When you use images on your website, ensure to include the alt attribute within the <img> element.
The alt text should concisely describe the image’s content or function.
If a succinct description is not feasible, consider a nearby text link to a detailed description.
- Example:
<img src="chart.png" alt="Bar chart showing annual sales increase from 2019 to 2024">
For complex images like graphs or charts, use aria-labelledby or aria-describedby attributes to link to more comprehensive text alternatives.
Text Alternatives in Web Design
It is your responsibility to provide accessible content design.
For every non-text element like videos, include captions and a transcript so that those who cannot rely on sound can still understand the content.
For charts and graphs, provide descriptive text that accurately represents the data and makes it accessible via screen readers.
Guidelines for Text Alternatives in Design:
- Use clear and simple language to describe images, videos, and other non-text content.
- Place captions close to the associated multimedia, ensuring synchronicity.
Tools and Software Support
Various tools and software are designed to help you implement text alternatives efficiently:
- Screen Reader Testing: Check how your text alternatives sound by using screen reader tools like NVDA or VoiceOver.
- Captioning Services: For videos, use services or tools that offer captioning to create accurate and timed subtitles.
Remember to regularly use accessibility checkers that will help you identify images or other non-text content missing text alternatives.
Regular updates and checks ensure your content remains accessible to everyone.
Complex Media and Text Alternatives
In ensuring web accessibility, you’ll find that text alternatives play a pivotal role, particularly with complex media such as images, audio, video, and interactive elements.
Handling Images and Graphs
When encountering images and graphs, it’s crucial to provide alternative text that conveys the same essential information.
For static images, you’ll want to include alt text that succinctly describes the image purpose.
Considering graphs, the description should include the graph’s key data and trends, which can be presented in a table format to assist users who rely on screen readers.
Audio and Video Content
For audio and video content, accessibility hinges on two primary text alternatives: captions and transcripts.
Captions should accurately reflect any spoken dialogue and significant sounds, synchronized with the media.
Transcripts go a step further, offering a text version of all spoken dialogue and additionally describing relevant non-verbal audio cues.
For an audio-only piece, you only need a transcript.
Interactive Elements
When you’re dealing with interactive elements like forms, buttons, or games, ensure each element has descriptive labels or instructions.
The name you provide for each interactive element should effectively communicate its function, making it easier to navigate and understand its purpose.
For more complex interactive media such as games or simulations, consider providing detailed descriptions and instructions in text form to guide users through the interactions.
Testing and Validation
When ensuring your web content is accessible, testing and validation of text alternatives is crucial.
This process will help you verify that your text alternatives accurately describe images, videos, and other non-text content.
Manual Assessment Methods
To manually assess text alternatives, you should:
- Review all images, videos, and audio files to make sure they have appropriate alt text.
- Evaluate if the alt text conveys the same function or purpose as the non-text content.
- Ensure that placeholders like “image” or “photo” are not used, as these do not describe the content’s meaning.
Automated Testing Tools
Automated tools can assist in identifying missing text alternatives:
- Use tools like WAVE or axe Accessibility Checker, which can flag images or media without alt text.
- Note that these tools may not assess the quality of the alt text but will ensure that alternatives are present.
User Testing with Disabilities
Gathering feedback directly from users with disabilities can provide insightful information:
- Conduct tests with a diverse group of users, as different disabilities interact with text alternatives in varied ways.
- Ask for specific feedback on the clarity, accuracy, and usefulness of the text alternatives provided.
Advanced Topics
In this section, you’ll dive deeper into ensuring text alternatives stay effective across various platforms and emerging technologies.
Dynamic Content Alternatives
When dealing with dynamic content, such as live feeds or updates, providing text alternatives can be challenging.
You should ensure that any updates in content are accompanied by new alt texts.
For instance, consider using ARIA live regions with appropriate labels so screen readers can convey the updates to users seamlessly.
Mobile and Responsive Design
Your mobile and responsive designs must include text alternatives that adapt to different screen sizes.
Alt texts should remain concise as they scale down on mobile devices.
Lists or tables that reflow on mobile screens should keep their data relationships clear, ensuring that any descriptions still make sense in a linear, one-dimensional context.
AR and VR Considerations
With Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), text alternatives become more complex.
Ensure that immersive experiences have accessible descriptions for all visuals.
For AR, consider text overlays that describe the enhanced elements of the physical world.
For VR, provide audio descriptions or transcripts that detail the virtual environment for users who rely on text alternatives.
Key Takeaways
When considering text alternatives for visual content, your primary goal is to ensure accessibility for all users, particularly those with visual impairments.
- Identify Essential Content: Look at your visuals and distill the core message or function they serve.
- What essential information does a user need if they cannot see this image?
- Be Descriptive: Write a text alternative that conveys the same information as the visual.
- If it’s a chart or graph, include the data in tabular form or provide a brief summary of the data trends.
- Keep it Succinct: Make your descriptions as brief as possible while still communicating the visual content’s message.
- Use Markup Wisely: Utilize HTML attributes, such as
altfor images, to include text alternatives directly in your web content. - Test for Clarity: Ensure your text alternatives make sense out of context.
- Read them without the visual to see if they convey the intended information.
With text alternatives, aim to create equivalency rather than duplication.
Your descriptions should offer a similar experience and an equal level of understanding for someone who cannot access the visual content.
Example of an image alt text:
<img src="chart.png" alt="Bar chart showing a 50% increase in engagement from 2020 to 2021">
Here, the alt text succinctly describes the image’s key point without going into unnecessary detail, allowing users who can’t see the image to still grasp its essential message.