Here at We ❤️ Health Literacy Headquarters, we’re always looking for ways to make content more accessible. One key way to do that: writing good, descriptive alt text. (We first wrote about this way back when in 2016).
In case you need a reminder, alt text — or alternative text, for long — describes images on a webpage or in a document, social media post, or email. Alt text ensures that the meaning and context of images are accessible to people with visual impairments who use assistive technology (like screen readers). But including alt text makes images accessible in other situations, too — like when a web browser fails to load images. What’s more, alt text is required by law for materials created by federal entities.
And while writing alt text might seem straightforward, we’ve found that that’s not always the case! That’s because:
- Context matters. The right alt text for an image depends on what you’re trying to say and who you’re trying to reach with your content. For example, in a material about getting enough physical activity, you could describe an image as “Two people playing basketball in a park.” But if the material is about something else — like the importance of social connection for teens — you might describe the same image as “Two teens playing basketball together at the park” to better support your content.
- Not every image needs alt text! By providing alt text, we aim to create an equivalent experience for people who can’t otherwise access the images. But for people who use screen readers, having to sift through alt text for every image on a page — particularly when the alt text is redundant with the page copy — can be burdensome. We like this resource from Nielsen Norman Group for determining which images need alt text.
- It can be hard to determine the right level of detail — particularly for complex images. When you’re writing alt text for a complex image, it can be tricky to provide enough detail to be useful without overwhelming the person reading the alt text. If you have a complex image with a lot of content — like an infographic or a chart — consider creating an accessible text version of your image content
- Describing identity takes care and sensitivity. There might be times where it’s relevant to describe aspects of identity — like race, gender, disability, or age — in your alt text. But knowing when it’s important to describe identity — and which terms to use — isn’t always straightforward.
So — how do we write good alt text? Here’s a few best practices we like to keep in mind:
- Keep it short. Shorter alt text can make for a better reading flow. Focus on what readers need to know about an image — and skip anything that’s “nice to know.”
- Don’t include redundant information. Review your drafted alt text alongside the main text to make sure you haven’t repeated anything.
- Include end punctuation. Be sure to end your alt text with a period, question mark, or exclamation point. Most screen readers will pause for a moment after punctuation, which makes for a more pleasant reading experience.
- If you’re using AI to generate alt text, be sure to review it. While AI can generate alt text quickly, keep in mind that it doesn’t replace a human’s judgment and reasoning. If you’re going to use AI to write alt text, allow time to review and adjust.
- Use identifiers with care. In general, describing identity in alt text matters most when you’re writing for a specific audience who you’re representing in your images. For example, if your material is for older Black adults, it probably makes sense to describe age and race in your alt text. If including identifiers in alt text is important for your content, take time to do your research on your audience’s preferred terms and choose inclusive language that will resonate with readers.
The bottom line: Including alt text is a key way we can make our health communication materials more accessible. By following best practices, we can make sure our alt text is useful, clear, and inclusive.
Copy/paste to share on social (and tag us!): Writing good alt text is a key way to make health materials more accessible for everyone. CommunicateHealth shares some thoughts on how to write alt text that’s clear, useful, and inclusive. https://communicatehealth.com/wehearthealthliteracy/alt-text-revisited #HealthCommunication #HealthLiteracy #HealthComm
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