Re: Unicode characters used as images

Hi S

This was just one example: but I see this sort of thing a lot and sometimes you can find workarounds - for example, if a multiplication sign is used as a close button label, you can put and aria-label on the button which 'hides' the text enclosed in the button tags so you don't really have to worry about it. But I would say these characters really are in essence images in this context and the role of img with a aria-label makes sense. I'm wondering who you feel it would be confusing to? <svg> images often contain text for example and they are often marked up with an image role. Although of course you have other sc to think about if there's text in images. But in the context of using a Unicode character for its visual appearance, it really is a (very simple) image in an abstract sense - it's not a standard image file, but it's an image that's been comprised of a single Unicode character. Jans link gives the example with the thumbs up: https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/Techniques/html/H86

Thanks

Sarah

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________________________________
From: S <Starry_sky@live.com>
Sent: Monday, February 5, 2024 9:44 pm
To: Ms J <ms.jflz.woop@gmail.com>; w3c-wai-ig@w3.org <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Subject: Re: Unicode characters used as images

But that "heavy x" is not an image or ascii art and will not be interpreted that way regardless of the intent. And, it would be confusing to mark up text as if it was an image.  Suggestion is to use text "Y" and "N" as indicators for better cognitive recognition.  But if it has to appear as "x" for visual effect, then they should use an actual image with valid alt text so it is recognized accordingly.

On 2/5/2024 7:53 AM, Ms J wrote:
Hello

If I had a shopping list and each item had a 'cross' next to it to indicate it was completed but the unicode 'heavy multiplication x' character was used for the cross, is this a failure of any sc?

They're basically using a text character like an image because they're using it for its physical characteristics, but they're not marking it up as an image (for example with an aria img role) and giving it an alt. It's read with JAWS as 'heavy multiplication x'.

My thoughts are - could it fail name, role, value because it's used as an image but doesnt have that role?
Could it fail info and relationships because it coveys information visually but not programmatically? (But then thats like saying images with unclear alts should fail 1.3.1)
I don't think it fails sensory characteristics because there's no corresponding instructions that refer to it by its appearance

Thanks

Sarah

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