inappropriate-long-alt

Description

Complex images, such as charts, diagrams, and infographics, must have a long alt text that is meaningful and accurately describes the purpose or content of the image. Vague or irrelevant descriptions do not help users who rely on screen readers to interpret images.

Users with visual impairments depend on screen readers to interpret images. Complex images often contain critical information that is inaccessible to such users. Simply providing a short alt text may not be sufficient to convey detailed information. In such cases, it is essential to include accurate and meaningful long alt text that clearly conveys all of the key information in the image. This ensures that accurate information is accessible to all users.

Examples

The following example uses only a short alt text that lacks details conveyed in a graph.

The following corrected example provides a long alt text that gives a detailed description of the information in the graph.

How to fix?

• Use aria-describedby to provide the long alt text.
• Use <figcaption> within <figure> elements to provide the long alt text.
• Ensure all users can access essential information through text.

References

• WCAG 1.1.1: Non-text Content