I used to skip alt text for decorative images on my site

A few years back, I figured if a picture was just for looks, screen readers could skip it. Then I watched a demo at a meetup in Austin where a user got confused by a missing description for a floral border. Now I always write a short alt tag, even if it's just 'decorative line', because that empty space can break the flow for someone. How do you all handle purely decorative graphics?

2 comments

2 Comments

miller.paul6d ago

My old agency in Portland had a client who insisted on these tiny star icons between menu items. We coded them as empty alt for years until a tester using JAWS said the silence made her think the page was broken. Now our rule is if it prints, it gets an alt, even if it's just "star icon divider".

barbara_moore736d ago

Star icon divider" is my new favorite job title.