• Success Criterion 1.1.1
  • Conformance level A

Mood-Only Hero Image Given an Overly Detailed Alt Description

1.1.1 — Non-text Content

Scenario

Setting

A pharmacy app's prescription-refill form

What’s wrong

Stock "hero" images that convey mood only but are exposed with verbose, distracting alts (should be decorative).

Example

Here's a real case from a pharmacy app's prescription-refill form: stock "hero" images that convey mood only but are exposed with verbose, distracting alts (should be decorative).

Why it matters

Blind and low-vision people using screen readers, and anyone who browses with images disabled, when icons or photos carry meaning. Here, on a pharmacy app's prescription-refill form, the result is they are left guessing what the media actually shows.

How to test

Read the alt text on hero/mood images: if it's a full paragraph describing an image meant only for atmosphere, it should instead be marked decorative (alt="").

How to fix

Mark mood-only hero images as decorative (empty alt) instead of narrating them.

Outcome

After the fix, the same visitor to a pharmacy app's prescription-refill form can now get the same information as everyone else.

Who is affected

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

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