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

<img src="chart.png">

Why it matters

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

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.

<img src="chart.png" alt="Q3 revenue chart showing 12% growth">

The alt attribute gives assistive technology the same information the image conveys visually.

Outcome

On a weather app's forecast screen, this barrier is gone for blind and low-vision people using screen readers — they get the same result as anyone else here.

Who is affected