WCAG Success Criteria

Let's talk a little bit about how WCAG sees text alternative and images. And yeah, just take a look on how that works.

So we have the how to meet WCAG, the quick reference open, and I've selected on the left all the responsible people and I selected images and images of text.

So that gives us the broad information.

There's not a lot in WCAG on images and images of text, but there is 1.1.1 non-text content, which has like the bulk of information on images on it.

And basically what it says, all non-text content that is presented to the user has a text alternative that serves the equivalent purpose except for the situations listed below.

So anything that is not text needs to have a text alternative unless it falls into these categories.

And the categories are control or input.

then the name of the input needs to describe the purpose of this controller input. This is the link and button situation.

If it's time-based media, so that means an audio file or video file, then there are alternative guidelines.

So you don't need to describe every video in detail, but you need to follow the time-based media information that follows in guideline 1.2.

If it's a test on exercise that wouldn't work with an alternative text, like identify what's on the image.

You don't want to put an alternative text in there.

But of course, you also need to make sure that a blind person, for example, has an alternative question in those cases or is exempt from answering the question.

Sensory images.

And this is basically decorative stuff.

So, yeah, if it's basically meant to give you a sensory experience, then you don't need to put an alternative text.

Then you have captures, which basically means that if you're using image recognition to distinguish between a human and a computer,

then you need to not have alternative text on the image,

but you have to have an alternative capture that a blind person, for example, can use.

And then we have decoration formatting or invisible.

So if you have an invisible image or you use it for decoration or you format it or use it for formatting,

so for example, to force a certain space somewhere,

then you have to have empty alternative text. Yeah, that's basically what's in there. There is a media alternative in level AAA, which we will not get into.

But basically that says if you have, getting into it, that says if you have a video or an audio file, you need to have a media alternative.

So you have to basically describe what is in the audio or video file.

And we have contrast.

This is important for images of text, but we will do this in design.

probably. And then we have the images of text success criterion. And that basically says,

when the technology that you use can achieve the visual presentation that you want,

then you cannot use text in an image with an exception. And that exception is that the image

can be customized to the user's requirements. So if it resizes with the user, if it changes text

color, if the user can select that, then that's okay. And if the display of the text is essential

to the information that is conveyed. So the biggest example of that are logos, because they

only look like logos if they are written in a certain font. So it's essential that they keep

there, how they are, and other, I don't know, I don't think I have good other examples where,

like, the visual appearance of the text is central, maybe tests or something like that,

as well. I'm skipping over contrast, yeah, and basically you have those two exceptions in level

double a 145 images of text and then there's a triple a criterion that has no exceptions um and

basically means that you cannot use any uh any images of text including logos or

you know if you can't make the specific like visual style that you want through the technology

you just have to abandon that visible style, but that's only level AAA, so it's not a requirement.

And that's it. There's nothing else on images in WCAG. I think it's pretty straightforward and

relatively simple to understand once you get a grip on what are the different types of images.

Thank you.