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How to write better Alt Text

Amazed to find writing Alt Text is a part of IELTS Writing Task.

The first step to know more about writing Alt Text is getting familiar with different types of images, pictures, cartoons, graphs, tables that are used in the text. The writer must know the relevance and the link between the images and the text.

The writer must know which images should be categorized as decorative images and which images need Alt Text for better understanding by the visually handicapped reader. The writer can be assigned with the task of listing the images from the pages one by one. This exercise will definitely help the writer to get familiar with the images in the text and understand the context in which those images are used.

The next exercise is to categorize the given images. The writer must be able to categorize the set of given images as decorative and non-decorative.

Five different classes of images:

Attractive images

Clip art and stock images

Images that express a concept

Functional images

Graphs, complex diagrams and screenshots

The ‘alt’ text that you write will be different for each of these classes of image.

Most web pages are full of attractive images, like horizontal rules, glyphs and spacer images. The purpose of these images is to make a web page look more attractive but if you describe these images in the ‘alt’ attribute it will just create auditory clutter for people who use a screen reader. People using a screen reader don’t need to hear, ‘spacer image’, ‘glyph image’ or ‘small green bullet’ when they are browsing a web page since this contains no useful information.

Images that express a concept

These images are usually photographs of people, events or situations. These images communicate a concept and so it is a must that they must express that concept concisely. The people who use screen readers just want to get to the content. So you have to make assured that the images convey something important and they are not just a stock image.

Functional images: explain the function

If the image has a function or communicates an information, then the ‘alt’ text should explain the function of the image. Here are three examples.

The first example shows icons — a weather widget — used to communicate status information. The screenshot shows how the ‘alt’ text has been used appropriately to explain the icon.

Graphs, complex diagrams and screenshots: provide a longer description

When we have a graph or a complex diagram such as an organizational chart, we may need to write brief ‘alt’ text and then provide a longer, alternative description. This alternative description should be ‘equivalent’: that is, it should be a standalone description of the screenshot, chart or diagram

How to write good alt text for images to help screen reader and blind user to understand what is the picture about? If we are using Alt text then what should be in a Title="text" if we are using both in special cases like menu images etc.

You should not make the visually impaired user understand what the image is all about. For the blind, the image effectively doesn't exist, all that there is the text.

The alt text should work as a single sentence/paragraph that can be replaced for the image, convey the same content and still make sense in the context of the adjacent content.

If the image is something that is part of the GUI, then the alt text should convey an action (a verb), line up vote, answer this or log out.

Image Description Basics

Describe only what you see. One sees physical appearances and actions; one does not see motivations or intentions.
Describe objectively. Allow readers to form their own opinions and draw their own conclusions. Don’t editorialize, interpret, explain, or analyze the material.
Go from the general to the specific. Start by creating a general context, then move to details to enhance understanding and appreciation. The initial information presented about a scene will create a foundation in the mind of the reader on which to build.
Color may have emotional connotations even for blind readers, and many readers may be partially or previously sighted, and therefore including color enhances their ability to better imagine a scene. Color descriptions should therefore be included for most images (e.g. the blue sky or the green lizard). The exception is for images such as charts or maps (e.g. the blue bar or the red line) where color is irrelevant to the teaching concept, and can be ignored in most cases.
Image description is a literary art form. It's a type of poetry, much like a haiku. We use words that are succinct, vivid, and imaginative to convey visual images. Think about getting as much content into as few words as possible. A great practice is to read your descriptions aloud to yourself or another. How do they flow when heard versus read?
Point of View and Narrative Tense. Write in present tense, using active voice (e.g., “Ted breaks the window,” is preferable to, “The window was broken by Ted.”) Use third-person narrative style to show neutrality and noninterference.
Describing emotions. Limit the use of words describing emotion, such as suspicious or furious. Ask yourself what you see that prompts you to think that she looks suspicious or furious. Instead, write what you see, such as: “she raises her eyebrows,” or “her fists are clenched.” You may judiciously use phrases such as, “She appears pensive,” or “she appears sad” if describing only facial expressions or body language is too limited.
“We See.” Avoid using visually related words or phrases such as “we see,” “shown below,” or “can be viewed.” Preferable words include “depicts” and “indicates.”
Mix it up. How many different words can you use to describe someone moving along a sidewalk? Why say "walk" when you can more vividly describe the action, with words such as strolls, skips, stumbles, or saunters?
Use pronouns only when it is clear to whom or what the pronoun refers.
Metaphor/Simile. Describe shapes, sizes, and other essential attributes of images by comparison to objects or items familiar to the intended audience. For example, “The ball is the size of an apple.” Be sure to use metaphors that will be readily identifiable by a blind reader. For example, “the room is as big as a whale” is less helpful than the room is as big as a bus, since a blind reader will likely have had first-hand experience with a bus, but probably not a whale!
Don’t censor information for personal reasons such as your discomfort with the material or political beliefs. Describers must objectively relay the visual elements of nudity, sexual acts, violence, etc.

Learn the trick

To write good Alt text, we must first learn the trick.

Common Errors in Alt Txt

Grammar/language
Inappropriate identification of complexity levels
Don't follow title-specific rules for writing alt text (including/excluding color, presentation of data, etc.)
Focus on details not relevant to the context of the image
Repeat information that is already provided by caption or surrounding text
Write long alt text when all it needs is short alt text
Provide a generic identification of a person or a place that is specifically identified in caption or text
Error in transcription of text or table information
Fail to use drill down approach
Incorporate additional information into alt text not actually present in the image
Fail to think verbally
Incorrect judgment relating to decorative images
Avoid structured text in the short alt field (bulleted lists)
Write unstructured text in the short alt text field

When thinking of an ALT tag, the task would be to consider WHY the image is included. Is it within a history course? a course on climatic history? Is the point of the image to show how soldiers were dressed or that LaFayette was at Valley Forge?

The answer could affect how you write the ALT text.

Possible ALT Text for a painting of George Washington

ALT = "George Washington at Valley Forge" (most succinct)
ALT = "George Washington and Lafayette on horseback talking to soldiers in snow at Valley Forge" (more detailed)
ALT = "Valley Forge in winter – The landscape is covered with snow and soldiers are painted as sitting in the open by the road with a campfire, but small cabins are visible in the background” (emphasizing conditions)

Descriptive words

In many languages, adjectives denoting attributes usually occur in a specific order. Generally, the adjective order in English is:

Quantity or number
Quality or opinion
Size
Age
Shape
Color
Proper adjective (often nationality, other place of origin, or material)
Purpose or qualifier

Examples:

I love that really old big green antique car that always parked at the end of the street. [quality - age - size - color - proper adjective]
My sister has a big, beautiful, tan and white, bulldog. [size - quality - color - color]
A wonderful old Italian clock. [opinion - age - origin]
A big square blue box. [dimension - shape - color]
A disgusting pink plastic ornament. [opinion - color - material]
Some slim new French trousers. [dimension - age - origin]
A wonderful old Italian clock. [opinion - age - origin]
I bought a pair of black leather shoes. [color - material]

Lists of adjectives

Most frequent adjectives

Good, New, First, last, long, great, little, own, other, old, right, big, high, different, small, large, next, early, young, important, few, public, bad, same

Appearance adjectives

Adorable, beautiful, clean, drab, elegant, fancy, glamorous, handsome, long, magnificent, old-fashioned, plain, quaint, sparkling, ugliest, unsightly, wide-eyed

Color adjectives

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, gray, black, white

Condition adjectives

Alive, better, careful, clever, dead, easy, famous, gifted, helpful, important, inexpensive, mushy, odd, powerful, rich, shy, tender, uninterested, vast, wrong

Personality adjectives – Positive

Agreeable, brave, calm, delightful, eager, faithful, gentle, happy, jolly, kind, lively, nice, obedient, proud, relieved, silly, thankful, victorious, witty, zealous

Personality adjectives – Negative

Angry, bewildered, clumsy, defeated, embarrassed, fierce, grumpy, helpless, itchy, jealous, lazy, mysterious, nervous, obnoxious, panicky, repulsive, scary, thoughtless, uptight, worried

Shape adjectives

Broad, chubby, crooked, curved, deep, flat, high, hollow, low, narrow, round, shallow, skinny, square, steep, straight, wide

Size adjectives

Big, colossal, fat, gigantic, great, huge, immense, large, little, mammoth, massive, miniature, petite, puny, scrawny, short, small, tall, teeny, teeny-tiny, tiny

Sound adjectives

Cooing, deafening, faint, hissing, loud, melodic, noisy, purring, quiet, raspy, screeching, thundering, voiceless, whispering

Time adjectives

Ancient, brief, early, fast, late, long, modern, old, old-fashioned, quick, rapid, short, slow, swift, young

Taste/touch adjectives

Bitter, delicious, fresh, greasy, juicy, hot, icy, loose, melted, nutritious, prickly, rainy, rotten, salty, sticky, strong, sweet, tart, tasteless, uneven, weak, wet, wooden, yummy

Touch adjectives

Boiling, breeze, broken, bumpy, chilly, cold, cool, creepy, crooked, cuddly, curly, damaged, damp, dirty, dry, dusty, filthy, flaky, fluffy, freezing, hot, warm, wet

Quantity adjectives

Abundant, empty, few, full, heavy, light, many, numerous, sparse, substantiable

List of Descriptive Words to Critique Art

Many words are there that can help you be descriptive when it comes to writing Alt text on art. In fact, there are words to comment on every single aspect of art. The line, tone, movement, texture and shape are ways in which art can be explained.

Six Words to Critique Line

In art a line can be described in several things. The words used to describe line in the form of art are everyday type of words, nothing fancy.

Flowing, delicate, simple, bold, thick, thin

Four Words to Critique Tone

When it comes to tone in art, four words can help you when critiquing. None of the words are fancy; however they may not all be use in your everyday conversations with friends.

Subtle, Contrasting, Muted, Dramatic

Five Words to Critique Texture

Texture is a very common element with and often used when referring to clothing, furniture and hair. Also, if you have ever painted a wall in your home you are most likely familiar with the following words.

Rough, Fine, Smooth, Coarse, Uneven

Five Words to Critique Shape

Art comes in various shapes whether it is a painting or a sculpture. Therefore, there are specific words to describe each piece of art.

Organic, Curvaceous, Geometric, Angular, Elongated

Three Words to Critique Movement

Movement is seen in every piece of art. Movement helps to create or define a piece of art.

Swirling, Flowing, Dramatic

Five Words to Critique Scale

Scale is basically the size of the art. The words used to critique scale are common words that are already in our vocabulary.

Large, Small, Intimate, Miniature, Monumental

Three Words to Critique Contrast

Two out of the three words for contrast have already been used to critique other elements of art. Therefore, it should not be hard to remember these words on a list of descriptive words to critique art. The only other word you need to remember here is the word strong and that is a common word.

Dramatic, Subtle, Strong

Six Words to Critique Color

In art color is very important. This is what helps each piece of art stand out. The color, no matter what type of artwork helps define the piece and the artist. A lot of artwork can be determined on who did the work just by looking at the colors, because certain artists use specific colors in every piece of their work.

Bold, Vibrant, Subtle, Pale, Earthy, Naturalistic

List of Descriptive Words to Critique Art

Saturation- refers to the brightness of color

Geometric – refers to the shapes such as circles, triangles, squares, etc.

Organic – free flowing or rounded

Symmetry – meaning it is equal on both sides

Asymmetrical – unequal proportioned elements

Flat tones – no tonal effect in the color

Negative space – the space around the actual form of art

Depth – the illusion of space

Broken color – dabs or small amounts of color

Focal point – the spot that stands out in the artwork

Distorted – a shape that is changed, and no longer looks proportioned

Decorative Images

Graphs

The real challenge lies in interpretation of graphs and write Alt text for them. If the graphs are simple, it is much easier. But if you find more than one curve on the graph or too many data to interpret, then it becomes a challenge. You need to use your power of reasoning to interpret.

How to interpret line graphs

Line graphs show time series data for more variables vary over a continuous period of time.

Line graphs are particularly useful for identifying patterns and trends in the data such as seasonal effects, large changes and turning points. Line graphs can also be appropriate for displaying data that are measured over other continuous variables such as distance.

For example, a line graph can be used to show how pollution levels vary with increasing distance from a source, or how the level of a chemical varies with depth of soil.

In a line graph the x-axis represents the continuous variable (for example year or distance from the initial measurement) whilst the y-axis has a scale and indicates the measurement. Several data series can be plotted on the same line chart and this is particularly useful for analyzing and comparing the trends in different datasets.

Maps

Writing Alt text for maps is also quite interesting and challenging.

When we do alt text on maps, we need not include names of countries on a world map that shows borders but not provide country names. We need not include state names on alt text for a map of the United States that shows borders but not provide state names. Writing alt text like that is laborious and time-consuming.

World maps have more general alt text, "A world map shows that most countries with rates of less than 5 percent or 5 to 15 percent of cesarean births are in central and southern Africa, the Middle East, and southeast Asia. Countries with rates of 15 to 30 percent include many in Western Europe as well as Canada, Russia, and China. Countries with rates above 30 percent include some in Western Europe as well as the United States, Mexico, Brazil, and Australia."

Short alt text: An unlabeled world map shows variation in five human skin colors across continents.

Long alt text: The general locations of the skin colors are as follows: Fair (White): Northern Europe, Scandinavia, Greenland, Arctic. Light brown: The dominant overall color, covering most of Europe, Asia, North America, Australia, and eastern South America. ·Medium brown: Central America, western South America, a belt across northern Africa into the Middle East. · Dark brown: Most of central and southern Africa. Very dark brown (black): Pockets in central and southern Africa.

Bar charts

Horizontal bar charts

Bar charts are normally drawn in vertical which means that the taller the bar, the larger the category. However, it is also possible to draw in horizontal which means that the longer the bar, the larger the category. This is an effective way of presenting data when different categories have long titles that would be difficult to include below a vertical bar, or when there are a large number of different categories and there is insufficient space to fit all the columns required for a vertical bar chart across the page.

Grouped bar charts

Grouped bar charts help to give information about different sub-groups of the main categories. Grouped bar charts can be used to show several sub-groups of each category but care needs to be taken to ensure that the chart does not contain too much information making it complicated to read and interpret. Grouped bar charts can be drawn as both horizontal and vertical charts depending upon the nature of the data to be presented.

Stacked bar charts

Stacked bar chars are similar to grouped bar charts in that they are used to display information about the sub-groups that make up the different categories. In stacked bar charts the bars representing the sub-groups are placed on top of each other to make a single column, or side by side to make a single bar. The overall height or length of the bar shows the total size of the category whilst different colors or shadings are used to indicate the relative contribution of the different sub-groups.

Medical Science

Images and illustrations for medical sciences are also interesting to interpret.

An illustration shows the following four parts of the brain drawn inside a baby’s head:Frontal lobe: highest processes, including planning for the future, making decisions.Parietal lobe: processes bodily sensations.Occipital lobe: processes visual information.Temporal lobe: processes auditory information, including language.

An illustration shows a neuron and its parts: a cell body with branchlike dendrites; a stem like axon; and, at the axon terminal, synapses that are close to another neuron.

Imprint

Publication Date: 12-10-2014

Dedication:
Writing better alt text to describe charts, bars, pie diagrams, pictures, paintings, and images.

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