Alt Text Authoring

The process of composing alternative text descriptions for digital images, undertaken by content authors, developers, or dedicated accessibility specialists. Research has identified several barriers to effective alt text authoring, including authors not knowing what to include, time constraints, uncertainty about screen reader user preferences, and the anchoring effect of pre-populated automatic alt text. Studies show that providing structured prompts or templates — such as suggesting authors describe the subject, action, and setting for photographs — can significantly improve the quality of authored alt text compared to a blank text field.