The Nugget
- Prioritize the most important detail first when writing alt text to ensure clarity and enhance user experience, similar to how you describe a scene in Dungeons & Dragons. This approach helps convey the essential information upfront and supports the context of the image or scenario.
Make it stick
- 🐉 Always describe the most important thing first: Just like mentioning a dragon attacks before the room's details.
- 📚 Use context to guide detail level: Simple alt text for small icons, detailed for complex images.
- 🎭 Set the tone and mood: Include expressive language to convey the atmosphere, just as in storytelling.
- 🎮 Practice improves skills: Getting better at writing alt text comes with continuous practice, much like roleplaying.
Key insights
Theater of the Mind vs. Miniatures
- Using "Theater of the Mind” in Dungeons & Dragons requires all narrative to be communicated verbally and helps develop descriptive skills.
- Verbal narration necessitates focusing on the most relevant and impactful details to paint the scene clearly in the player's mind.
Describing the Most Important Thing First
- When describing scenes or writing alt text, start with the most critical element. For example, in a room description, prioritize mentioning an attacking dragon over less urgent details like walls or furniture.
- Organizing details by importance aids in understanding and ensures the main point is clear.
Context is Key
- The level of detail in alt text should be influenced by the context of what you're describing. Basic elements need less description, while significant events or objects warrant richer detail.
- Over-describing trivial details can mislead the audience about their importance.
Tone and Mood
- Evocative language is essential for creating the right atmosphere. Whether conveying a scene in a game or describing an image, the language should evoke the intended emotions.
- Contrast mundane scenes with sudden, dramatic changes to enhance the impact of the narrative or description.
Assistive Technology and User Experience
- Screen readers read alt text linearly, so placing the most important information first is crucial.
- Users can stop the screen reader once they have obtained the necessary information, which underscores the need for prioritized content.
Empowering Through Alt Text
- Providing detailed alt text, including race, gender, and ethnicity, ensures that everyone can understand the image's context as fully as those who can see it.
- The goal is to grant autonomy and a comprehensive understanding to users relying on assistive technology.
Key quotes
- "This is explicit prioritization of information."
- "The most important thing in this scene is the feelings of shock and fear when something unexpected and unsettling interrupts the mundane."
- "You wield power as the person enabling and facilitating the experiences others have."
- "Writing [alt text] can be a joy and an art."
- "The more often you practice it, the better you get at it."
This summary contains AI-generated information and may have important inaccuracies or omissions.