Image block: clarify what alternative text is used for

[sarahmonster]

The image block offers some contextual help to explain what alt text is, but I think we could make it a bit more clear. Getting the explanation right will help more people create accessible sites. 🎉

Currently it reads:

Describe the purpose of the image. Leave empty if the image is not a key part of the content.

As a user with no understanding of alternative text, my instinct here is to write something like "The purpose of this image is to illustrate my post", which isn't really helpful.

What about instead, something along the lines of:

Alternative text is used to describe your image to people who may not be able to see it. Provide a short description of the image or leave empty if the image isn't important to your post content.

[designsimply]

Would a link to more info be preferable to keep descriptive text short so that it doesn't make the UI too cluttered? Also keep translation in mind.

[sarahmonster]

A link to more detailed documentation would be 💯!

[michelleweber]

Yay for changing this text. I think you can tighten things up without losing meaning, and use the space saved to give people a stronger nudge.

Alternative text describes your image to people who can't see it, so they get the total experience of your site. Add a short description with its key details.

You could just hyperlink "Alternative text." And if you want to go super short, you can delete "so they get the total experience of your site." I like the push it gives ("My site is so good, of COURSE I want people to get the whole experience!") but it's not essential.