- Success Criterion 1.2.1
- Conformance level A
Instructional GIF Treated as Decorative Instead of Informative
1.2.1 — Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded)
Scenario
Setting
A real-estate marketplace's listing page
What’s wrong
Animated GIF/WebP conveying instructional steps treated as "decorative".
Example
Consider a real-estate marketplace's listing page: animated GIF/WebP conveying instructional steps treated as "decorative".
Why it matters
Deaf people who need transcripts of audio-only media, and blind people who need alternatives to silent video. On a real-estate marketplace's listing page, that means they get no equivalent for the sound or picture content.
How to test
Check instructional GIFs/WebPs (showing a sequence of steps) for alt text or a caption: if marked purely decorative despite conveying steps, it fails.
How to fix
A complete, accurate transcript (or an equivalent audio track for video-only media) must be provided and linked right next to the media.
Outcome
With the fix in place on a real-estate marketplace's listing page, they hear or read what the media conveys.
Who is affected
Deaf people who need transcripts of audio-only media, and blind people who need alternatives to silent video.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Audio Description File Left as a Filename, Not Real Text
- Long Description That Doesn’t Match What the Audio Actually Says
- Podcast Episode Published With No Transcript at All
- Transcript Missing Speaker Names or Key Background Sounds
- Auto-Generated Transcript Too Inaccurate to Trust
- Silent Demo Video With No Transcript or Narration