Writing concise and contextual alt text

Within the context of a Word document, Alt text (or alternative text) refers to text that is attached to graphical objects to assist people with visual impairments in interpreting the object's meaning within the document. Alt text is important for any reader who is blind or low-vision and relies on a screen reader to describe what an onscreen object not only looks like but what its purpose is within the document.

I am going to confess that writing effective alt text still stresses me out. I always seem to question what I have written. Is it too much? Too little? Repetitive? Too vague? Too annoying? I just can't tell sometimes.

I will give you the advice I give myself when I freak out—relax, and just write something. Something is better than nothing. But here are some tips:

• Be concise.
• Describe the subject (that is, the most important element) of the image.
• Optional: Describe the setting (if it is relevant...