Why should alternative texts be kept short?
Knowledgeworker Create shows a recommendation to shorten long alternative texts. Limiting alternative texts to a maximum of 125 characters ensures that content is accessible to all users, especially those with visual impairments. Here are the main reasons for this recommendation:
- Incomplete Output by Screen Readers: Screen readers, used by blind and visually impaired individuals, often cannot effectively process longer alternative texts. They might either truncate the text or overwhelm users with unnecessarily long descriptions. A precise, concise alternative text facilitates understanding and enhances user experience.
- Clarity and Precision: Short alternative texts force the most important information of an image to be succinctly summarized. This leads to clearer and more direct descriptions that can be grasped more quickly.
- Consistency: Although there is no strict character limit for alternative texts on the web, web standards and accessibility best practices recommend keeping them short. This promotes a consistent and universal user experience.
- Usability: In situations where images do not load (e.g., due to slow internet connections), short alternative texts provide quick context without impacting the page's loading time.