Transcript of video:
(00:01) Introduction to Alternative Text
This video will help you to learn how to provide alternative text for your images in your digital content. Accessibility is the ability to have access to something and being able to use the things everyone else can. This is a quote from Juna who is a blind student. Imagine you went into a store like this and everything on the shelves had labels like this.
No words whatsoever. No product name, no ingredients, no instructions of how to use it. It certainly isn't very helpful to the customer. Just like an image without a description wouldn't be helpful for a person with low vision or blindness using a screen reader looking at your content.
(00:48) Accessibility and UDL
Teaching & Learning at ESU10 uses CAST. It's an organization for Universal Design for Learning and we use that to provide us information and support. They define accessibility as when everyone can do three things: acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same opportunities in a timely equivalent manner. It's not a less than experience, it's an equivalent experience.
(01:08) Types of Images and Alt Text Needs
When you're designing, whether it's documents, slides, PDFs, social media posts, you might choose to use different types of images for your content. Could be informative, decorative, functional, or complex. The only one that doesn't require alternative text is a decorative image. Sometimes images are just decorative and it's okay, but use sparingly.
Informative images have information in the image itself that the picture conveys a concept. So, it requires alternative text and requires a description of that important information.
A functional image is used to help a user initiate an action like go to another website or submit a form. Definitely need to use alternative text in that case.
And then complex images would be like an infographic or a pie chart or a diagram like scientific diagram. Those require alternative text as well, but probably require a longer description as well because you need to really be able to convey that important information in that complex image.
(02:17) The Three C’s of Alt Text
We also need to consider the three C's of alternative text. Content, context, and concise. So even though we know we can describe what's in the picture for the content, we also need to consider the context because that can be super important to the meaning and you might know the context, but if you don't put that in the alternative text, the user is not going to know the context.
And then keeping it concise and one way to help keep it concise would be to avoid trying to say image of or graphic of every time you make an alternative text. The screen reader understands that, so you don't need to do that. However, if it's a specific type of image, you should include that information like if it's a meme or a cartoon, an illustration.
(02:52) Examples of Writing Effective Alt Text
So, here's a picture of a couple of dogs. I don't need to say image of two playing dogs. I can just say two playing dogs. Or better yet, I can be more descriptive and say a black and white Great Dane playing with a collie in a grassy field. And that gives more detail for that alternative text.
Again, consider context. Here's a picture of a guy sitting by a tent out on a lake. It could be an advertisement for the tent. It could be promoting remote work or it could be a dating profile picture. So, context is important.
(03:13) How to Add Alt Text
In slides, in order to add alternative text to your images, you click on the image and open the format options and go to alt text. Excuse me. You can also right click on an image and choose format options. Same thing in Google Docs except it's called image options.
In Microsoft Word or PowerPoint, you can right click on the image, a menu pops up, you choose view alt text, and go from there.
For social media post, you should always provide alternative text on images that you include in a social media post. And each platform has a slightly different way to do this.
(04:01) Website Resources and Demonstration
For more information on alternative text, you can go to our website a11y.esu10.org to find some more resources for alternative text.
And I'm just going to show you real quick on Google Slides what it looks like to provide alt text.
(04:22) Demonstration: Google Slides
So right now I'm not seeing anything with format, but if I click on the image, I have the option to choose format options here. And then alt text is down at the bottom. It might be zipped up if you don't have anything in there yet. And then you can type your description. In my case, it does not include the context.
(04:42) Demonstration: PowerPoint and Word
In PowerPoint or Word, it's very similar. I right click on the image. I choose view alt text, which is about halfway down. And then this pane pops up and I can add my text or edit my text. Here I can have it generate generate alt text for me or I can mark it as decorative there as well.
(05:08) Additional Notes and Office Hours
You can also add alt text to email signatures if you have a picture in your email signature. So, consider asking if you can't find that on your Outlook or your Gmail.
So, visit our website or come see us during office hours on Mondays from 8:00 to 9:00.