In today's digital landscape, ensuring that web content is accessible to all users is more important than ever. Text alternatives, or alt text, play a crucial role in web accessibility by providing descriptions of images for users who rely on assistive technologies like screen readers. These descriptions help convey the content and function of images, making the web more inclusive and usable for everyone. Adhering to WCAG 2.1 guidelines, alt text not only improves accessibility but also enhances the overall user experience and contributes to better SEO performance. This article explores the different purposes of images on websites, how Zenyth’s A11y Alt AI can efficiently address alt text generation, provides industry-specific examples, and offers best practices for crafting effective text alternatives to meet the diverse needs of your audience.
Images on websites serve various functions, each requiring a tailored approach to alt text to ensure that the content is accessible and meaningful to all users. The primary purposes of images can be broadly categorized into informative, decorative, functional, images of text, complex, and grouped images. Understanding these categories and their unique requirements is essential for creating effective text alternatives that enhance accessibility and user experience across different industries, including e-commerce, legal, social justice, service industry, educational, and healthcare sectors.
- Informative Images
Informative images graphically represent concepts and information, typically including pictures, photos, and illustrations. These images provide essential details that support the content of the web page. For example, in e-commerce, product photos should have alt text that describes the appearance and key features of the product. In the educational sector, illustrations of scientific concepts should include explanatory descriptions that help users understand the material. - Decorative Images
Decorative images are used solely for visual appeal and do not convey important information. These images should be marked in a way that assistive technology ignores them. For instance, a decorative background image on a legal firm website’s home page banner does not require a description, as it does not provide any critical information. - Functional Images
Functional images are used as links or buttons to perform specific actions, such as icons representing print functions or buttons to open a cart flyout. The alt text for these images should describe their functionality rather than their visual appearance. In the service industry, a button visually represented by a calendar should have alt text that clearly states its purpose, such as "Schedule an appointment." - Images of Text
Images of text are images that contain meaningful, readable text. While it is generally recommended to avoid using text in images, there are instances where it is necessary. In such cases, the alt text should include the exact words found in the image. For example, a promotional banner on an e-commerce site that reads "50% off all items" should have alt text that reflects this message. - Complex Images (Graphs and Diagrams)
Complex images, such as graphs and diagrams, convey detailed information and data. Providing a full-text equivalent of the information presented in these images is essential. In e-commerce a bar chart of monthly revenue should include a brief text alternative associated with the image and structured data on the page to ensure that users fully understand the content. - Groups of Images
When multiple images together convey a single piece of information, a single text alternative should describe the entire group. For instance, a sequence of star images representing the overall rating of submitted reviews should have a single text alternative providing the meaning for the group of images, such as “4.7 out of 5 stars”.
After understanding the different purposes of images, the next step is to efficiently generate text alternatives that are accurate and contextually relevant. This is where Zenyth's tool, A11y Alt AI, excels.
A11y Alt AI is designed to streamline the creation of text alternatives by leveraging advanced AI capabilities. The tool analyzes each image in the context of the webpage, considering its purpose and surrounding content to generate high-quality descriptions.
How A11y Alt AI Enhances Text Alternative Creation
- Initial Setup
By providing A11y Alt AI with relevant industry and site-specific information, the AI can better understand the nuances of the content and purpose of the images. - Image Analysis
A11y Alt AI scans the website to identify and categorize images based on their purpose—informative, decorative, functional, text-based, complex, or grouped. - Prompt Refinement
Refine prompts to ensure the AI captures detailed and relevant aspects of each image. This step is crucial as it allows for the customization of text alternatives that accurately reflect the intended message and context. - Text Alternative Generation
A11y Alt AI produces concise, accurate text alternatives, ensuring compliance with accessibility standards and enhancing user experience.
One of the reasons A11y Alt AI is so effective at crafting accurate, relevant text alternatives is its ability to consider the purpose of the page and the context of the image. This step is crucial to produce appropriate text alternatives. By doing so, A11y Alt AI ensures that the generated text alternatives are not only descriptive but also highly relevant to the content and the user’s needs.
The rest of this article explains the considerations for the final text alternative outputs, detailing best practices and providing examples for each type of image. These guidelines can be used to refine the prompts in A11y Alt AI, helping to produce text alternatives that are precise and contextually appropriate. By following these best practices and using the provided examples, users can ensure that their websites are accessible to all users while maintaining a high standard of content quality.
Definition and Importance
Informative images are those that graphically represent concepts and information, often including pictures, photos, and illustrations. These images provide essential details that support the content of the web page, enhancing the user's understanding and engagement with the information presented. Effective alt text for informative images ensures that users who rely on screen readers or other assistive technologies receive the same valuable information as sighted users.
Best Practices for Crafting Alt Text for Informative Images
- Descriptive and Concise
The alt text should provide a short, clear description that conveys the essential information presented by the image. It should be specific enough to be meaningful but concise to avoid overwhelming the user. - Contextually Relevant
The description should reflect the image's context within the page content, ensuring that the alt text complements the surrounding information. - Avoid Redundancy
Do not repeat information that is already provided in the surrounding text unless it adds value to the user's understanding. - Exclude Redundant Terms
Avoid using words like "icon," "image," "photo," or "diagram" unless that detail is specifically relevant to the image. Assistive technology will already report the image as a "graphic" or similar.
Industry-Specific Examples
E-commerce
Product Photos: In e-commerce, product photos are crucial for helping customers understand what they are buying. The alt text should describe the product's appearance and key features.
Example: For a photo of a red wool sweater, the alt text could be "Red wool sweater with ribbed cuffs and a crew neckline."
Educational
Illustrations of Scientific Concepts: Educational websites often use illustrations to explain complex concepts. The alt text should clearly describe the illustration and its relevance to the content.
Example: For an illustration of the water cycle, the alt text could be "Diagram showing the water cycle with stages of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation."
Healthcare
Medical Images: Healthcare websites might use medical images to provide information about conditions or procedures. The alt text should explain the image in a way that enhances the user's understanding.
Example: For an image showing the symptoms of a heart attack, the alt text could be "Illustration of heart attack symptoms, including chest pain, shortness of breath, and arm discomfort."
Legal
Case Study Photos: Legal websites may include photos related to case studies or historical events. The alt text should describe the image and its significance.
Example: For a photo of a landmark Supreme Court decision, the alt text could be The Supreme Court building during the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case."
Social Justice
Advocacy Images: Social justice websites might feature images that represent advocacy efforts or significant moments in history. The alt text should provide context and explain the image's importance.
Example: For an image of a peaceful protest, the alt text could be "A peaceful protest with participants holding signs advocating for racial equality."
Service Industry
Service Demonstrations: Websites in the service industry may use images to demonstrate their offerings. The alt text should describe the service being depicted.
Example: For an image of a spa treatment, the alt text could be "A person receiving a hot stone massage at a spa."
While many images on a website might appear purely decorative, they are often carefully selected by the marketing or design team to relay specific moods, tones, or brand values. These images play a crucial role in conveying the overall aesthetic and message of the website. It is essential to provide meaningful descriptions for these images to ensure that all users, including those relying on assistive technologies, can understand their purpose and context. Users of assistive technology can quickly skip over the image's text alternative if they feel it is not relevant to their purpose on the site.
Definition and Importance
Decorative images are used solely for visual appeal and do not convey any information critical to understanding the page's content. These images enhance the visual aesthetics of a website without adding substantive meaning. Handling decorative images properly ensures a smooth and focused browsing experience for users relying on assistive technologies.
Best Practices for Crafting Alt Text for Decorative Images
- Hide from Assistive Technology
Decorative images should be marked using the appropriate implementation technique for the image’s type (<img>, <svg>, role="img") to signal that they do not contain important information, allowing screen readers to skip them. - Consistency
Maintain a consistent approach to labeling decorative images across your site to ensure a cohesive and predictable user experience.
Industry-Specific Examples
E-commerce
Background Patterns: Background patterns or design elements that do not provide product information should use a null text alternative.
Example: A background image of a subtle geometric pattern used for visual interest should have alt="".
Educational
Page Borders and Decorations: Decorative borders or images used purely for visual enhancement in educational content.
Example: A decorative border around a classroom schedule should have alt="".
Legal
Decorative Scales of Justice: Decorative images of scales of justice used to add visual appeal to the website.
Example: A decorative image of scales of justice in the page header should have alt="".
Definition and Importance
Functional images are those used as interactive elements, such as links or buttons, to perform specific actions on a website. These images are essential for navigation and functionality, enabling users to interact with the site effectively. Ensuring that these images have appropriate alt text is crucial for accessibility, as it allows users relying on assistive technologies to understand and utilize these interactive elements.
Best Practices for Crafting Alt Text for Functional Images
- Describe the Function
The alt text should describe the action or functionality of the image rather than its visual appearance. For example, for a printer icon, the alt text should indicate "Print this page." - Keep It Concise
While providing enough information to understand the function, keep the alt text concise to avoid overwhelming the user. - Contextually Relevant
Ensure that the description aligns with the surrounding content and the purpose of the image. - Exclude Redundant Terms
Avoid using words like "button," "link," or "icon" unless necessary, as assistive technology will typically convey this information. - Avoid State Indicators
Do not include words indicating a change in state or other properties, such as "toggle," "open," "selected," or "current," as these should be programmatically assigned.
Industry-Specific Examples
E-commerce
Shopping Cart Icons: Functional images used for shopping carts should clearly describe their purpose.
Example: A shopping cart icon could have alt text like "View cart".
Healthcare
Appointment Booking Icons: Functional images used for booking appointments should describe their action.
Example: An appointment booking icon could have alt text like "Schedule an appointment."
Legal
Download Document Icons: Functional images used for downloading documents should describe their purpose.
Example: A download icon could have alt text like "Download legal document."
Definition and Importance
Images of text are pictures that contain readable text. According to best practices and accessibility conformance requirements, these should be used sparingly. Images of text are only appropriate in circumstances where the visual presentation cannot be achieved by styling actual text on the page. This ensures that text remains accessible, scalable, and easily readable by assistive technologies.
Best Practices for Crafting Text Alternatives for Images of Text
- Use Text Instead
Whenever possible, use actual text styled with CSS to achieve the desired visual presentation. - Exact Text Replication
If an image of text is used and the text alternative is creating the accessible name for an interactive component, the text alternative must contain the exact text string from the image. - Include Additional Meaningful Information
If the image provides additional meaningful context or details beyond the text, include this information in the text alternative. - Avoid Redundant Phrases
Do not include phrases like "image of" or "text in image" as assistive technologies will identify the element as an image or functional element, as appropriate.
Industry-Specific Examples
E-commerce
Promotional Banners: Images of text in promotional banners should be replaced with styled text, but if used, must replicate the exact words and provide relevant visual context.
Example: An image with text "50% off all items" overlaid on a background of colorful shopping bags should have the text alternative "50% off all items, colorful shopping bags in the background."
Educational
Event Posters: Event details should be provided as actual text, but if in an image and not included elsewhere on the page, ensure the text alternative contains the same information and additional visual context.
Example: An image with text "Science Fair, April 20th, 10 AM" overlaid on a background of students working on projects should have the text alternative "Science Fair on April 20th at 10 AM featuring student projects from local schools, students working on science projects in the background."
Social Justice
Advocacy Messages: Advocacy messages should be text, but if an image is used, replicate the exact message in the text alternative and describe the image context.
Example: An image with text "Equal Rights for All" overlaid on a background of diverse people holding hands should have the text alternative "Equal Rights for All, diverse group of people holding hands in the background."
Service Industry
Service Descriptions: Descriptions should be text, but if in an image, the text alternative must include the same wording and relevant visual details.
Example: An image with text "Spa Treatments Available" overlaid on a background of a serene spa setting should have the text alternative "Spa Treatments Available, serene spa setting with candles and flowers in the background."
Definition and Importance
Complex images, such as graphs, charts, and diagrams, convey detailed information or data that requires thorough explanation. These images are essential for presenting complex concepts in a visual format. Providing effective text alternatives for complex images is crucial for accessibility, ensuring that users who rely on assistive technologies receive the same level of detail and understanding as sighted users.
Best Practices for Crafting Text Alternatives for Complex Images
- Provide High-Level Descriptions
The text alternative should include a brief summary describing the overall meaning and high-level trends of the image. - Supplemental Text or Structured Data
Provide additional details through structured data (e.g., tables, lists) or supplemental text that covers all relevant specifics and data points. - Contextual Relevance
Ensure the description aligns with the context in which the image is used, helping users understand how the information fits into the broader content.
Industry-Specific Examples
E-commerce
Sales Charts: Graphs showing sales data should have a brief summary and detailed supplemental text.
"Bar chart displaying monthly sales data for 2023, showing an overall increase with a peak in July."
Educational
Scientific Diagrams: Diagrams explaining scientific processes should have a high-level description and detailed breakdown.
Example: "Diagram of the water cycle showing the main stages." Supplemental text on the page: "The diagram illustrates the water cycle, where evaporation occurs over the ocean, condensation forms clouds in the atmosphere, and precipitation returns water to the land and sea."
Legal
Case Outcome Statistics: Graphs showing case outcomes should have a brief overview and detailed data explanation.
Example: "Pie chart showing case outcomes for the past year, with settlements being the most common." Supplemental text on the page: "Outcomes: 40% settlements, 30% dismissals, 20% verdicts, 10% ongoing cases."
Social Justice
Demographic Data: Charts showing demographic data should include a summary and detailed demographic breakdown.
Example: "Bar chart showing community demographic distribution: 40% Hispanic, 30% White, 20% African American, 10% Asian."
Definition and Importance
Groups of images are sets of multiple images that together convey a single piece of information or tell a cohesive story. Properly describing these groups with effective text alternatives ensures that users relying on assistive technologies receive the full context and meaning conveyed by the images.
Best Practices for Crafting Text Alternatives for Groups of Images
- Provide a Comprehensive Summary
The text alternative should describe the overall information or story conveyed by the group of images, capturing the key details and context. - Include Relevant Details
Highlight important aspects or elements within the group that contribute to the overall message. - Avoid Redundancy
Ensure the text alternative is concise and avoids repeating information unnecessarily.
Industry-Specific Examples
E-commerce
Review Ratings: A set of stars representing the review rating for a product should have a summary text alternative.
Example: "4.5 out of 5-star rating based on 120 customer reviews."
Educational
Step-by-Step Process: A series of images illustrating the steps of a scientific experiment should include a comprehensive description.
Example: "Steps to perform a chemical reaction experiment: setting up equipment, mixing chemicals, observing the reaction, and recording results."
Healthcare
Medical Procedure Stages: A sequence of images depicting stages of a medical procedure should have a detailed summary.
Example: "Stages of a knee surgery: initial incision, removal of damaged tissue, insertion of artificial joint, and suturing the wound."
Legal
Case Study Documentation: A group of images documenting key moments in a legal case should provide a comprehensive overview.
Example: "Key moments of a court trial: opening statements, witness testimonies, evidence presentation, and the final verdict."
Service Industry
Service Workflow: A series of images illustrating the workflow of a service should provide a complete description.
Example: "Workflow of a car detailing service: initial inspection, exterior wash, interior cleaning, and final polish."
Alt text is a cornerstone of web accessibility, ensuring that users who rely on assistive technologies can understand and interact with your content. It enhances the overall user experience and boosts SEO performance. By consistently applying best practices for creating text alternatives, you make your website more inclusive and compliant with accessibility standards.
Zenyth's A11y Alt AI streamlines this process, enabling you to quickly generate accurate and contextually relevant text alternatives.
Review and improve the alt text on your website using A11y Alt AI to enhance accessibility and compliance today.