You should always write alt text for your images!
I repeat: you should always write alt text for your images!!
Let's make a11y a requirement, okay?
Besides, we can spin this task to our advantage.
First off, do not start with the words, "this image" or "a photo of"; the screenreader already knows it's an image!
Second, work on being descriptive! You can practice this by describing anything in front of you at this moment: your phone, keyboard, whatever is on your screen. No need to post this anywhere, just write/type it all.
For an extra challenge, avoid using the object's name!
For instance, I am currently using a mechanical keyboard that features an LED glow. Here's how I would describe it:
My keyboard is fairly compact: no number pad or function buttons-- just the bare essentials: letters, numbers with their shift symbols, tab, escape, arrow keys, return/enter.
This keyboard features a dynamic LED backlight light, whose glow patterns ebb-and-flow a luminous blue-white; akin to a wave in the ocean.
The keys themselves are the shades of a summer's sunset. Starting with the Esc and numbers row: a blush pink--not too light, but not too dark a shade. Then the next row: a delicate peach-orange. It then fades into a sweet light-pink as we go down the keyboard, and ends with a pastel lavender highlighting the space bar, CTRL, ALT, function, and arrow keys.
The letters are illuminated with a soft pink glow, floating with the tide of the white light.
As I type this paragraph, the keys make a "click-clack" noise. The keypress ripples satisfaction throughout my fingertips-- a small comfort and a bit of a guilty pleasure to indulge in during these wild, uncertain times.
Is this what you pictured? (Let me know how I did in the comments!)
Honestly, yes-- it will take a lot of practice to get these descriptors just right. Thankfully, we have search engines! The best keyword you attach when searching for various versions of your chosen adverb is "synonym".
In contrast (haha) -- you can find the opposite meaning by attaching antonym instead.
Painting a picture with words is indeed an advanced skill to build, but once you have it down, it is a skill that is much appreciated-- especially for those who use a screen reader to navigate the interwebs!
Please think of every single user that could encounter your app or website. It can --no joke-- save a life .
Thanks for reading!
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