WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

Re: Dealing with Facebook's problematic automatic alt text generation (and other issues)

for

From: Emma Duke-Williams
Date: Feb 13, 2017 9:41AM

A quick query - how do you see the suggested alt text? I've never seen
it. I use Facebook set to UK English, if that makes a difference - I
know they sometimes roll out updates by region.

I'd agree, from a pure usage point of view, that it's easier to get
descriptions on images in the album creation mode, than in the upload
an image.

Emma

On 13 February 2017 at 16:06, Robert Fentress < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> Hello, all.
>
> I'm curious if folks have developed strategies for dealing with Facebook's
> automatic alt text generation. As many of you probably know, Facebook now
> analyzes images uploaded into its system and automatically generates text
> alternatives for those images. This is great for when your average user,
> who is unlikely to ever provide an alternative, uploads images. However,
> for those who are actually trying to do things properly, this is
> problematic, since there is no way (that I've been able to determine yet)
> for editing these text alternatives, and they are frequently inadequate or
> incorrect, or Facebook just adds alt text saying they couldn't make heads
> nor tails of the image.
>
> Currently, I'm recommending the following and wonder if it comports with
> what others are doing or recommending:
>
> 1. Upload image to an album.
> 2. Examine the automatically-generated alt text to see if it is adequate.
> 3. If so, you're done. If not, continue to next step.
> 4. Add a brief description below the image in the album, where it says,
> "Say something about this photo..."
> 5. From there, if necessary, share the photo to your timeline. This is
> recommended, rather than uploading the image directly from your timeline,
> because, if you upload to your album and add the description there, when
> you share to your timeline, the description comes over with the image, but
> there is still a place for you to add text for your post that is separate
> from the description. So, the post text can be different from your image
> text alternative and the alternative text is in one place in your album.
>
> A problem with this is that the actual image alt attribute is still
> incorrect or inadequate. Should one say so in the description?
>
> Another issue I've encountered is that, for Pages, one cannot add alt text
> to the cover photo and Facebook automatically sets the alt attribute of
> this image to null. This may be the best default solution, since that
> cover photo is often purely decorative. However, the problem is that that
> image is also wrapped in an anchor tag and is the only content of that
> link. This causes the href of the anchor tag to be read. I haven't been
> able to come up with a workaround for that one. Ideas?
>
> Obviously there are other problems with FB architecturally, but I'm
> focusing on strategies for content creators/editors and trying to deal with
> the things we have some control over.
>
> Other strategies recommended in that regard, for Pages in Facebook, include:
>
> - Host any videos on YouTube (captioned, of course, with described
> versions, as appropriate) and link to them from within Facebook, rather
> than uploading videos to Facebook directly, since, among other things, FB's
> video player has poor keyboard support.
> - If images of flyers advertising events are uploaded, include links to
> accessible PDFs and Word docs (if available) of the flyers as well, and
> make sure info in flyer image is replicated in post content.
> - Provide an alternate channel for users to access content, such as
> cross-posting to an accessible blog.
> - In the About section of the Page
> - Under Contact Info, add phone, and email, and a link to an
> accessible contact form.
> Under Story, include something like:
> "Facebook Accessibility:
> https://www.facebook.com/help/273947702950567/?helpref=hc_fnav
> The Facebook mobile app may provide a more accessible experience for
> some users.
> Content in this feed can also be found on our blog at:
> http://our.blog.edu"
>
> Anything else folks can think of, focusing on what is within a content
> creator/editor's control? Thanks!
>
> Also, assuming I haven't overlooked anything obvious here, if you agree
> with me, I'd urge folks to let FB know that they should really add the
> ability to edit the alt text of images. It seems very strange that they
> devoted so much time and energy to enabling the automatic text
> alternatives, but did not provide humans the ability to edit them. Doing
> that must be trivial, by comparison, don't you think?
>
> Best,
> Rob
>
> P.S. Thanks to Queen's University
> <http://www.queensu.ca/accessibility/how-info/social-media-accessibility>;
> for many of these tips.
>
> --
> Robert Fentress
> Senior Accessibility Solutions Designer
> 540.231.1255
>
> Technology-enhanced Learning & Online Strategies
> Assistive Technologies
> 1180 Torgersen Hall
> 620 Drillfield Drive (0434)
> Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
> > > > --
Emma Duke-Williams:

Blog: http://emmadukewilliams.co.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/emmadw