- Success Criterion 1.1.1
- Conformance level A
Alt Text So Long It Buries the Image’s Real Purpose
1.1.1 — Non-text Content
Scenario
Setting
A food-delivery app's order-tracking screen
What’s wrong
Alt text is excessively verbose — a full scene description of every visual detail — burying the image's actual purpose — screen reader users sit through paragraphs where a short, purposeful description was needed.
Example
Picture a food-delivery app's order-tracking screen: alt text is excessively verbose — a full scene description of every visual detail — burying the image's actual purpose — screen reader users sit through paragraphs where a short, purposeful description was needed.
Why it matters
Blind and low-vision people using screen readers, and anyone who browses with images disabled, when icons or photos carry meaning. In this case (a food-delivery app's order-tracking screen), they miss information that's only conveyed visually.
How to test
Read the full alt text aloud and time it: if it goes well beyond a short phrase and buries the image's actual purpose in unnecessary visual detail, it fails.
How to fix
Shorten the alt to the image's purpose (one concise phrase) — move extra detail to a long description if truly needed.
Outcome
Once corrected, a food-delivery app's order-tracking screen lets them hear or read what the media conveys.
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)
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- Product Photo Added as a CSS Background With No Alt Text
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- Alt Text Left as a Filename Instead of a Real Description
- Decorative Image Not Hidden From Screen Reader Users
- Decorative Image Given Alt Text Instead of Being Marked Silent