Ian.BurnetteNov 23, 2022

If you're like me, then you were really happy to learn about Mastodon's enthusiastic support for image descriptions, and you were eager to join in.

Then you went to actually write something and realized you have no idea how to present visual info in a way that is helpful/enjoyable to those who are #VisuallyImpaired or #Blind.

I found this guide really informative: https://uxdesign.cc/how-to-write-an-image-description-2f30d3bf5546

Post-viral Edit: Don't forget to give the author some love on medium. They did the work!

#Accessibility

How to write an image description

I wrote this how-to guide with the immensely helpful counsel and insights from Bex Leon and Robin Fanning, as well as through an online…

Medium
Show threadJoan Concilio
@ianburnette An alt text tip I find often overlooked is to try not to rely too heavily on color, which is very subjective even among those without what we traditionally think of as visual processing differences like low vision or color-blindness. There are colors that have meaning regardless of visual perception - so to say a “red light” generally imparts more info than a “traffic light” - but describing someone’s clothing color is usually extra words without a lot of extra value.
Nov 23, 2022 at 3:06pmWeb
Show threadIan.BurnetteNov 23, 2022
@joan This was literally the first problem I ran into that got me thinking about this. I read what I'd written, realized that it was like 20% colors, and thought "hmm, that's probably not very interesting if you've never experienced Blue"
Show threadJoan ConcilioNov 23, 2022
@ianburnette Right?? And then you can really go down a rabbit hole in your head about what words’ meanings we derive from visual info - like I got in my own head about size comparisons and stuff (which I do feel like are useful but it really made me think in a way I never had)!
Show threadIan.BurnetteNov 23, 2022
@joan For sure! I've been wondering about how to caption "hidden twist" images too. Like, "A log floats in a peaceful pond-- just kidding it's actually the tail of a very large alligator!"
Show threadOrla BreslinNov 23, 2022
@joan @ianburnette I post a lot of landscape photos on various social media, both on work & personal accounts. Only realised recently how much I use colour to describe the image 🤦. I'm finding it challenging but fascinating learning new ways of describing.