2 · Content Description and Text Alternatives

Web 2.0 Services

Informative images need to have what is commonly known as an 'alt-tag' or text alternative, so that a screen reader user can hear an image description. Some screen readers will read the file name or some say 'image' if the attribute is omitted. The alt-tag should be appropriate for the content and succinct. Text should be accessible for text-to-speech tools and screen-readers but decorative images should be hidden from assistive technologies.

Outcomes and Scores

This test has 5 possible outcomes.

Outcome Score
Acceptable alternative text throughout and use of empty or null alt attributes (e.g., alt="") that AT can ignore. Complex images have links to appropriate long descriptions or captions 100%
Alternative text offered but examples lack brevity or clarity e.g. image of duck. 67%
Inadequate/sparse alternative text even to actual website images not just those added by users. Inappropriate use of null alt attributes (e.g., alt=""). 33%
None, detrimental to understanding of content. No option to add alt-tag if uploading image to web pages. Lack of use of null alt attributes (e.g., alt=""). Accessible name does not contain the visible label text for User Interface components with labels. 0%
Not applicable N/A

Disabilities

The results of this test are taken into account when calculating accessibility scores for the following disabilities.

Techniques

The following techniques may come in handy when running this test.

References

This test aims to cover the following sections of best practice.

Document Section Heading
WCAG 2.1 1.1.1 Non-text Content More Info
WCAG 2.1 1.4.5 Images of Text More Info
WCAG 2.1 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value More Info