• Success Criterion 1.1.1
  • Conformance level A
  • W3C reference F65

Images Published With No Alt Attribute at All

1.1.1 — Non-text Content

Scenario

Setting

A weather app's forecast screen

What’s wrong

Images, image-map areas, or image buttons have no alt attribute at all — screen readers read the filename or say just 'image'.

Example

Try this on a weather app's forecast screen: images, image-map areas, or image buttons have no alt attribute at all — screen readers read the filename or say just 'image'.

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 a weather app's forecast screen, that means they get no equivalent for the sound or picture content.

How to test

Inspect every img, area, and input type="image" in DevTools: any missing the alt attribute entirely fails, regardless of whether it's meaningful or decorative.

How to fix

Add an alt attribute to every img, area, and input type=image — descriptive for meaningful images, empty for decorative ones.

Outcome

With the fix in place on a weather app's forecast screen, they 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

Related scenarios