Images are not accessible. You need to add in alt text to make them accessible.
Alternative text (also referred to as alt text), is a short description of an informative image, usually about 150 characters. These are helpful for user with vision impairment, but it is also useful if a browser doesn't load the image.
Why it matters:
Sometimes your description will need to be longer than 150 characters. In that case, you may need to add this information in a caption or to the text of your document.
If you want help creating alt text, there are a few AI tools you could use.
Note: AI is only recommended as a starting place. It is not always accurate, and it is up to you to make sure your alt text is appropriate.
This is a website, so you do have to upload the images. It allows you to add additional context to the image as it generates alt text, and it provides you with a long description option in addition to alt text. This website can assist with alt text for complex images, such as graphs.
This extension enables you to generate alt text without needing to upload the image to a site, as it is used directly in your browser. However, you only get 3 free generations per month. This extension does not do that well with complex images, such as graphs.
This is a website, so you will have to upload the images to the site to have it generate alt text, but it is free. Upload the photo and use the prompt "Provide alt text options for this image." This will generate 3 different options with varying levels of detail, and you can pick which one suits your image best. There is a limit to the number of images you can upload before you need to make an account. This website can help with complex images, such as graphs.
There are two types of images: informative and decorative.
An informative image provides additional context or information to the content. For example, an infographic is informative.
However, there are many images you may think are not informative, but are providing some kind of context. For example, if you visited a dentist’s website and there were people smiling at the top of the page, though that information is not necessary, it is conveying an ambiance. It’s trying to show you they are a friendly place and that their clients have good teeth.
This guideline is in place because many users with low vision can physically see there are images on a page, but cannot tell what they are. Without alt text, they can worry that they have missed helpful information or context.
If you're not sure if your image is informative, it is best to assume your image is informative.
A decorative image does not add any additional information or context to the accompanying text.
Decorative images do not need any accompanying text or alt text. However, if your image is decorative, consider whether you really need to include it.
Why you include an image on a page will change based on the page. Consider the image below. What your page is about will change why you included the image and what the viewer might take away from it. Below the image are examples of how the alt text for the image could change.
Two young children playing with blocks and other toys
Two preschool children sharing toys and playing together
Two young children playing with wooden blocks and animals
The above types are not the only types of images you may want to include in your content. Please reach out to the UXWS team if you have additional types of images (including data representations) not covered in this document and want to know how to make them accessible.