Success Criterion 1.1.1
Conformance level A
W3C reference F20

Outdated Alt Text That No Longer Matches the Image

1.1.1 — Non-text Content

Scenario

Setting

An email client's compose window

What’s wrong

Content changes on screen but its alt text / accessible name is never updated, so screen readers announce old, wrong information.

Example

A tester reviewing an email client's compose window finds this: content changes on screen but its alt text / accessible name is never updated, so screen readers announce old, wrong information.

Why it matters

Blind and low-vision people using screen readers, and anyone who browses with images disabled, when icons or photos carry meaning. On an email client's compose window specifically, they get no equivalent for the sound or picture content.

How to test

Compare the alt text to what the image currently shows: outdated alt describing a different image, or copy left over from a previous version, is a fail.

How to fix

Update the alt text / accessible name in the same code path that updates the content.

Outcome

Fixed, a visitor to an email client's compose window can understand the image, video, or audio content.

Who is affected

Blind and low-vision people using screen readers, and anyone who browses with images disabled, when icons or photos carry meaning.

Learn more

Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
Technique Related technique (opens in a new tab)