Alternative descriptions

Rules for creating alternative descriptions:

•  Objectivity

Avoid subjective comments (e.g. “beautiful landscape”), focus on facts (“mountains in the background, a river flowing through the valley”).

• Precision

Describe specific elements of the graphic, avoid redundant information and phrases such as “the photo shows”, “on the photo one can see”, “the graphic shows”. Describe the type of illustration, e.g. “bar graph,” “pie chart,” “line graph.” Indicate the significant values visible in the graph, e.g. “the number of users decreased in the second quarter”, “the largest increase in sales was recorded in 2023”. Refer to the data table (if available): if the chart is based on a table, it is worth mentioning this in the alternative text, e.g. “For details, see the data table on this page.”

• Context

Adjust the description to the purpose and content of the page. The same image, used in a different context, may/should have a different alternative text.

• Remember to update alternative texts

If the chart or table has changed, make sure the alternative text is updated as well.

Example 1. Chart and table of sales data

Chart 1. Sales performance by individual employees from 2017 to 2024

The chart should have described axes and a legend. In case the chart displays extended data, it is better to dispense with the values next to each bar and add a table instead, either merged with the chart or inserted separately below.

 Table 1. Sales from 2017 to 2024

Example of alternative description

• Simple:

A bar chart showing the sales performance of individual employees from 2017 to 2024.

• Detailed with indication of description:

A bar chart illustrating the sales performance achieved by individual employees from 2017 to 2024, detailed data are included in Table 1.

Example 2. The function sin(x)

Graph 1. the function f(x)=sin(x)

Alternative Description

• Simple:

Sine, f(x)=sin(x).

• Extended:

The graph of the sine function f(x)=sin(x) represents a periodic function, where the fundamental period T=2\pi, and the set of values is in the interval <-1;1> and the domain is real numbers.

• With the indication of the description:

If the content of the graph is described in detail in the text, there is no need to create an elaborate alternative description for it. In this case, the alternative description can be of the form:

The graph of f(x)=sin(x), under the graph there is a detailed description of this function.

Example 3. Vehicle nameplate

Fig. 1. Example of a vehicle nameplate

Alternative Description

• Simple:

Vehicle nameplate template.

• Expanded:

Vehicle nameplate template with data such as vehicle make, type/model, VIN, kerb and gross weight, and year of manufacture.

• With an indication of the description:

If the author has described the appearance of the nameplate in detail in the text, the alternative description can be:

The design of the nameplate of the vehicle, the details of which are described in the text below.

Example 4: Block diagram of the algorithm for calculating the area of a triangle

The flowchart can be described either as a picture, discussing the various elements according to the direction of the arrows, or as the steps of the algorithm (depending on the context).

Alternative Description

• Simple:

A flowchart showing the algorithm for calculating the area of a triangle.

• Extended:

A variant that focuses on the layout of the image:

A block diagram presenting the algorithm for calculating the area of a triangle: at the very top there is the word “start” in the oval, down leads the arrow to the parallelogram, in which there is the command “give a, h”, then down leads the arrow to the rectangle, in the center of which there is the command “calculate P = a * h”, successively down leads the arrow to the parallelogram with the word “show P” and the last arrow leading to the oval with the word “stop”.

• A variant of the linear notation of the algorithm:

Block diagram showing the algorithm for calculating the area of a triangle (linear): start; give a, h; calculate P=a*h; show P; stop.

• With indication of description:

If the author has described in detail in the text the content of the diagram, the alternative description can be:

A block diagram showing the triangle field algorithm, described in detail below in subsection 1.1.

Example 5 Infographic – Life cycle of building materials

 Fig. 2: Life cycle of building materials

Alternative Description

• Simple:

Infographic in the form of a circle illustrating the life cycle of building materials with assigned percentage costs at each stage.

• Expanded:

Infographic in the form of a wheel illustrating the life cycle of building materials with assigned percentage costs at each stage. Cycle stages and costs: raw material acquisition: 20–30% of total material costs; manufacturing: 5–10% of total costs; on-site installation: 10–20% of total costs; use: 15–30% in building life cycle; demolition: 5–10% of total costs; recycling: 0–5% of total costs.

• With an indication of description:

If the author has described the content of the infographic in detail in the text, an alternative description could be:

An infographic in the form of a circle illustrating the life cycle of building materials with the assigned percentage costs at each stage, which are described in the text below.