Category: alt

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"fixing alt" alt

Fixing Alt – If Web Browsers Were Celebrities

A humorous infographic was recently published and twittered about, If Web Browsers Were Celebrities (full image). I’ve noticed more than several of these in the last few months, and one big issue about them continues to nag me: there’s no sufficient alternative text! (Also a good case for the longdesc attribute!)

So I decided to to my typing skills to work and provide the alternative text. Hopefully there will be more of these to come on this blog. So here it is, the alt text from the If Web Browsers Were Celebrities infographic:

Browser Compatibility; If Web Browsers Were Celebrities

[Each item includes a nice, large browser icon and a cartoon-style avatar of the celebrity’s face.]

Firefox – Can do no wrong, though not as spry as it once seemed. Would be: Morgan Freeman.

Chrome – The new hotness. People love it so much they’re nervous it will go wrong and embarrass them later. Would be: Christopher Nolan.

IE6 – Everyone thought it died a long time ago, but still seems to crop up all over the place. Would be: Betty White. [LOL!]

IE7 – After years of giving it chance after chance, performance never gets better. Would be: Matthew McConaughey.

IE8 – Trying desperately to stay relevant, even though it’s still the same thing. Would be: The Shatner. [William Shatner]

Safari – Reliable performance, seems to be everywhere. Would be: Samuel Jackson. (Just wait til he collaborates with “Chrome”)

Flock – Hip, but people don’t take it seriously anymore. Would be: Michael Cera.

Netscape – When it died, everyone said “Oh yea, that one!” and then forgot all about it. Would be: Walter Matthau.

Opera – Only ever used if you already have 100 tabs open in IE, Firefox isn’t available, and you have no toher choice. Everyone agrees it looks nice, though. Would be: J-Lo. [Jennifer Lopez]

IceWeasel – Who? You mean that weird one? Would be Kristen Schaal (AKA Mel on Flight of the Conchords)

Requires No Browser – Is unquestionably Keanu Reeves. [Avatar of Keanu says “Wo”]

Infographic: If Web Browsers Were Celebrities, small size

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alt aria html5 image podcast

Podcast #83: Fate of Longdesc in HTML5

What’s the fate of the “longdesc” attribute in HTML5? Can or should the “aria-labelledby” ARIA attribute replace it? These are some of the controversial issues discussed by Dennis and guests John Foliot (@johnfoliot), Everett Zufelt (@ezufelt), and Joe Dolson (@joedolson).

Download Web Axe Episode 83 (Fate of Longdesc in HTML5)

[transcript of podcast 83]

Related Links

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alt

Inaccessible Comics Made Accessible

It bothers me when good comics are not web accessible, which is nearly all the time. This usually means no alternative text. So, I’ve taken a look back at a few great, but inaccessible, comics and supplied the alt text here.

Tweaty

Setting: Female negotiator sitting at table between two male country representatives.
Caption: “So it’s agreed: a 2-state solution, an immediate cessation of hostilities, & you’ll both #followfriday each other.”
How to tell if your cat is plotting to kill you

8 Websites You Need to Stop Building – The Oatmeal

  1. Websites that let me know what my friends are up to.
  2. Websites whose sole purpose is to share things.
  3. Digg and Reddit clones.
  4. Websites with this page. “Sorry, to add a comment you must be logged in!”
  5. Social Media Websites.
  6. The Next Facebook.
  7. Websites with Flash intros.
  8. Web 2.0 Websites.
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alt flash image law

Walmart’s Poor Alt Text and Use of Flash

Yesterday, Steve Faulkner of The Paciello Group wrote a tweet quoting an alt attribute on the Walmart.com home page. My first reaction was disbelief, frustration, and outrage.

I replied to the tweet, then found the following code (line 2421) which Steve was referencing:

The Walmart.com site includes Flash technology. To avoid interruption of software designed to aid visually-impaired people, please turn off your Flash player.

The message was designed for screen reader users. But just this one line of code is so wrong on so many levels including the following.

  1. A spacer GIF? What is this, 1998? This is a badly outdated and poor practice.
  2. Alt text is too long; I suggest under 15 words. Or, include the text as part of the main page or use some kind of “D” link.
  3. This message was meant to be vital to the user (particularly if blind), and thus should not be stuffed in an ALT attribute.
  4. Many people with visual impairments may not be blind, but have “low vision”, and thus may not use a screen reader. These individuals could use a screen magnifier or simply enlarge text with their browser.
  5. Law: Walmart is a very large corporation providing sale of goods nationally; this means that they are a great “Target” for a lawsuit, excuse the pun! (If you don’t get the joke, read about the NFB vs. Target lawsuit.)
  6. The use of Flash in itself is highly debatable. One can write a book about this point, but basically, Flash requires a proprietary plug-in, usually not developed with accessibility, and is not supported on many modern user agents such as the iPhone/iPad (not to mention many others including text-only browsers).
  7. How does one turn off his Flash player, anyway?

Solutions

Immediate: Provide HTML alternative to content.

Better: Use accessible Flash and provide an HTML alternative to content.

Best: Use HTML only for content. Implement with web standards, progressive enhancement, and DOM scripting, to create the same visual effect as the original Flash. This will not only make your content accessible, but will also make the site lighter and faster and is also good for SEO.

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"fixing alt" alt html5 image

Fixing Alt – Social Media Venn Diagram Made Accessible

Social Media Venn Diagram T-Shirt from despair.com
http://despair.com/somevedi.html

Perfect scenario for the longdesc attribute!

The alt I used in the image below is “Social Media Venn Diagram”

Three intersection circles labeled Narcissism, ADHD, and Stalking.
Narcissism and ADHD cross and labeled MySpace.
Narcissism and Stalking cross and labeled Facebook.
Stalking and ADHD cross and labeled FourSquare.
All three (Stalking, ADHD, and Narcissism) cross and labeled Twitter.

Social Media Venn Diagram