Alt text isn’t just a technical task. It’s a tiny act of communication between two humans. And like most communication, the tone and intent matter just as much as accuracy.
But lately I’ve been thinking about highlighting what I call Empathy-First Alt Text.
Think: Not “What’s in the image?” But “What does someone need from this image, in this moment?”
Let's try this: The above photo shows a crowded train platform. A digital display above the platform reads “Service Delayed”. (The title text at the bottom reading "What is Empathy First alt-text?" isn’t relevant here, focus just on the image itself.)
Let's look at these 3 examples:
1. Basic (technically correct, minimally helpful)
Alt text: "Train platform with people standing underneath a departure board."
This passes. It also tells the user almost nothing that matters.
2. OK (more detail, still missing the point)
Alt text: "Crowded train platform with commuters waiting under a digital sign showing a delayed service."
Better but it’s still describing the scene, not the experience.
3. Empathy-First Alt Text Alt text: "Crowded train platform where commuters are waiting after a service delay is announced".
Same image. Same facts. But now the meaning is clear.
Empathy-first alt text: - prioritises intent over inventory - respects cognitive load - gives context, not clutter - helps the user understand why the image is there
This kind of thinking becomes more important as our interfaces get noisier, faster, and more complex.
It’s also a big part of how I approach cognitive accessibility more broadly focusing on judgement, understanding, and care, not just rule-following (this mindset underpins a lot of the work I do through COGAI