Alternate text for image maps and hotspots

Lotus Notes checkpoint 3.2

Provide alternate text for image maps and image map hotspots.

Rationale

An image map is an image that contains programmable hotspots. The user selects the hotspots to perform actions or activate links. Text and audio browsers screen readers cannot describe images to users with visual impairments. To enable screen readers to communicate information on the image map, you must associate alternate text with the image itself and with each hotspot defined on the image map. Screen readers will read the alternate text for the image map or the hotspots when they are selected.

Development techniques

The following techniques are the minimum required to meet Checkpoint 3.2 from the Lotus Notes Application Accessibility Checklist:

Provide alternate text for all image map hotspots.
- Select each hotspot and open the Hotspot Properties box.
- Select the Advanced tab. In the Alternate Text field, enter a description of the image.
Provide alternate text for the image map itself.
- Select the picture that is being used for the image map and open the Picture Properties box.
- Select the Picture Info tab. In the Alternate Text field, enter a description of the image map. The alternate text should not be too verbose.

The following example shows the correct way to add alternate text for a hotspot image. Note that the tab order for the image has also been defined. This improves the usability of the image map by ensuring the tab order is logical.

Hotspot Properties Box with Exit Course entered in the Alternate text field under the Advanced tab.

Recommended techniques

Set the tab order for hotspots in image maps. Open the form or page which contains the image map. Select the first hotspot and open the Hotspot Rectangle Properties box. On the Advanced tab, go to the Tab Key section and in the field "Position in image map tab order" enter the tab order for the hotspot. Continue with each hotspot going in a logical order from top to bottom.

Testing techniques

Test the Web site to ensure that it complies with accessibility requirements.

Tools

Install the following tools to test this checkpoint:

A screen reader for testing with the Notes Client user interface or the Domino Web user interface
A Web accessibility checking tool

Techniques

*The following techniques are required to verify this checkpoint:*
	Action	Result

1.	Test image maps in a Notes Client application with a screen reader to verify the alt text is meaningful. Start the screen reader and tab to the image map and hotspot links. If alternate text has been provided, it will be read by the screen reader. If alternate text has not been provided, the screen reader will read all or part of the filename for the image map or hotspot to find the next client-side image map.	Pass: All map area links have appropriate alternative text that is read by the screen reader. Fail: One or more map areas have missing alternative text so the screen reader reads all or part of the filename for the image. One or more map areas have inappropriate alternative text. For example, an area used for navigation has null alternative text (`alt=""`) or the alternative text does not match what the sighted user sees.
2.	This step applies only if the application uses the Web interface. Test each page (URL) in the application with a Web checking tool to identify any instances of image maps missing alternate text.	Pass/Fail: See your Web checking tool for instructions to verify imagemaps.
3.	This step applies only if the application uses the Web interface. Test image maps in a Domino Web application with a screen reader. 1.To read the image map, use the Tab or arrow keys to move to each map area and verify the alt text is spoken for each link area in the image map. 2.Verify the alt text announced for each image map area is appropriate for the image.	Pass: The screen reader announces alt text for all areas of the image map. The alternative text for each map area is appropriate. Fail: One or more map areas have missing alternative text. One or more map areas have inappropriate alternative text. For example, an area used for navigation has null alternative text ( alt="" ) or the alternative text does not match what the sighted user sees.

Last updated February 08, 2008.

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