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I often talk about adding alt text to images, but I never actually talk about what makes good alt text, for people who are unsure. So here& #39;s my perspective as a sighted person who sometimes uses a screen reader.
Tips for writing alt text for images and gifs:
Tips for writing alt text for images and gifs:
- When sharing a screenshot of text, type out the text. If you& #39;re sharing a whole page but only highlighting a bit and the rest is irrelevent, only type the relevant part.
- Also give context of where it& #39;s from. "Screenshot of Reddit post. Text reads: ..."
- Also give context of where it& #39;s from. "Screenshot of Reddit post. Text reads: ..."
- For images, give however much detail is relevant.
"Selfie!" Basic facial expression, hair, outfit, etc. might be fine.
"I love my nose!" Describe your nose.
Tweet about a tree with photo, but there are houses in the background? You prob don& #39;t need to describe each house.
"Selfie!" Basic facial expression, hair, outfit, etc. might be fine.
"I love my nose!" Describe your nose.
Tweet about a tree with photo, but there are houses in the background? You prob don& #39;t need to describe each house.
- Some pics are more about the visual, others a feeling.
"Look at this pretty tree I found!" Describe the size, shape, color, etc.
"This tree looks how I feel." Just size and color may not portray the image correctly. Perhaps, "The branches are all drooping in a sad way."
"Look at this pretty tree I found!" Describe the size, shape, color, etc.
"This tree looks how I feel." Just size and color may not portray the image correctly. Perhaps, "The branches are all drooping in a sad way."
- Make descriptions clear. You might not need every detail, but give enough that someone who can& #39;t see it can understand.
"Hair blowing in wind." Loose strands of hair blowing by like a tumbleweed? Hair on someone& #39;s head? Blowing away from their face? Into their face?
"Hair blowing in wind." Loose strands of hair blowing by like a tumbleweed? Hair on someone& #39;s head? Blowing away from their face? Into their face?
- Any description is better than none! I& #39;m sure all my descriptions aren& #39;t perfect either!
- If you forget alt text, add it in a threaded tweet. It& #39;s better than nothing, and it will help you get into the habit and remember in the future.
- If you forget alt text, add it in a threaded tweet. It& #39;s better than nothing, and it will help you get into the habit and remember in the future.
- Lastly, remember, not everyone who uses a screen reader is fully blind and born that way. And even someone who is can still enjoy descriptions. Don& #39;t assume that something isn& #39;t worth describing just because you think it can& #39;t be appreciated by someone who can& #39;t see it!
- One more thing, it relates to my last point, add alt text to art you share too if you& #39;re an artist. It& #39;s not just for photos!
Also, in case I made it sound like every description needs to be super short, you can write longer descriptions! It really just depends on what& #39;s relevant in the context and the image itself. Use however much description is needed!
This is getting much more traction than I thought it would, and I& #39;m so happy people care about accessibility! I& #39;m a little overwhelmed though, so I& #39;ll check replies again prob tomorrow, and I& #39;m sorry if I miss anyone& #39;s!
Since this is still going, if anyone wants to know what screen readers are like or test alt text, NVDA is a free one for computers (though takes some learning), and phones have features under accessibility. "Select to speak" is perfect for this purpose if you have it 
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🙂" title="Leicht lächelndes Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Leicht lächelndes Gesicht">
To answer one question I& #39;ve seen a few times: Yes, mention colors! Not everyone who uses screen readers is blind (I can see, I just get headaches from screens). Some blind people were not born that way. And colors have meaning even if you can& #39;t see them (red = bold).
Also, some discussion going on here about describing ethnicity and gender: https://twitter.com/xerinstewart/status/1391171663195119617?s=19">https://twitter.com/xerinstew...
