The playbook
Alt Text: Template and Field Guide
This alt text template turns a broad task into a record another person can use. It captures image, purpose, text alternative, then connects that information to a decision. Copy the table into your working document or system and create a separate record for each item in scope.
Put the task in context
For a linked image, the text alternative should communicate the link's purpose. For a chart, provide the important finding and an accessible explanation of the data. Purely decorative images usually need an empty alternative rather than a verbose description that adds no useful information.
Copyable worksheet
| Field | Entry instructions |
|---|---|
| image | Record the image associated with this page or query record. Use a stable reference so later updates can be matched. |
| purpose | Record the purpose associated with this page or query record. Keep the value specific enough for another owner to interpret. |
| text alternative | Record the text alternative associated with this page or query record. Keep the value specific enough for another owner to interpret. |
| long description | Record the long description associated with this page or query record. Keep the value specific enough for another owner to interpret. |
| Decision field | Entry instructions |
|---|---|
| Observed problem | Describe the actual condition and where it was observed. |
| Recommended action | State the smallest action that resolves the documented problem. |
| Evidence | Link to the record, observation, or test supporting the action. |
| Owner and next review | Name the accountable person and when the decision should be revisited. |
How to complete the worksheet
Begin with image. Use the same reference throughout the record so notes are not attached to the wrong item. Then determine whether an image is informative functional or decorative. This establishes the information required before the worksheet becomes a request for action.
Next, describe necessary information in the current context. Use the observed problem and evidence fields to explain why that step is needed. A useful entry describes an actual condition, such as stuffing keywords into every text alternative, rather than a broad instruction to “improve performance.”
Finally, check image links buttons and complex diagrams separately. Put describe the purpose and provide longer explanations when needed in the action field only when it addresses the observed condition. If the problem is different, change the action. The template is a structure for judgment, not a reason to apply the same fix everywhere.
Illustrative completed decision
| Part | Illustrative entry |
|---|---|
| Problem | Stuffing keywords into every text alternative |
| Action | Describe the purpose and provide longer explanations when needed |
| First check | Determine whether an image is informative functional or decorative |
| Follow-up check | Check image links buttons and complex diagrams separately |
| Outcome to define | informative images with useful alternatives |
Adapt the fields without losing meaning
You can add fields required by your team, but each should change a decision or preserve necessary context. Keep factual observations separate from recommendations. If purpose changes, record the new value and its effective date instead of silently rewriting the context of an earlier decision.
Use the record in a handoff
Ask the receiving owner to explain the next action using only the worksheet. Missing context becomes visible quickly during that exercise. Repair the record before applying the structure to a larger batch. Keep informative images with useful alternatives connected to the item so the team can later assess whether the action was useful.
Keep page purpose visible throughout the work. A technically valid page can still fail to answer the reader’s question. Separate access and discovery problems from content problems so that the assigned action matches the cause.
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