RE: Over-redundancy of ALT text?

Using ALT="" in the example you cite is quite reasonable.
Please reference the current active thread at URL:
<http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-gl/2000OctDec/0808.html>

> -----Original Message-----
> From: w3c-wai-ig-request@w3.org [mailto:w3c-wai-ig-request@w3.org] On
> Behalf Of David Holstius
> Sent: Friday, December 15, 2000 8:53 PM
> To: W3c-Wai-Ig
> Subject: Over-redundancy of ALT text?
> 
> 
> Supposing that I wanted to provide both iconic and textual clues on a
> navigation bar, how would I go about it?
> 
> It seems like an idea that might be good: provide an icon of 
> a magnifying
> glass sext to the word "search", etc. Might speed up 
> identification for the
> average user as well as one with cognitive disabilities. But 
> under current
> guidelines, how does one provide meaningful "alt" text for an 
> image that's
> only there to enhance a nearby text (link)?
> 
> Having a screen reader render "Icon: Magnifying glass", 
> "link: search", etc.
> for 5 or so icon-link pairs seems like a waste of the user's time,
> especially for something emphasizing brevity like a navbar. 
> Would using
> alt="" carry that feeling of, "I don't know what this image 
> was supposed to
> be"?
> 
> David Holstius
> holstius@msu.edu
>

Received on Monday, 18 December 2000 08:35:08 UTC