Accessible Interactive Images: How to Add Alt Text and Descriptions

Kyla Ball July 21, 2026

You’ve built a beautiful interactive image. Tags are placed, content is layered in, and the learning journey feels intuitive. But here’s the question worth asking before you hit publish: can every learner in your audience actually experience it?

Accessibility is not a checkbox at the end of a project. It is a design decision you make from the start. And when it comes to accessible interactive images, alt text and descriptive content are two of the most powerful tools you have. This guide walks you through exactly how to use them in ThingLink.

Why Alt Text Matters for Interactive Images

Alt text (alternative text) is a short written description attached to an image or media element. Screen readers read it aloud for users who are blind or have low vision. It also displays when an image fails to load, and it supports cognitive accessibility by giving learners a clear orientation to the content before they begin exploring.

For standard images on a webpage, alt text is a well-established practice. For interactive images, the challenge is layered. You are not describing one static image. You may be describing a background scene, a set of clickable tags, embedded media within those tags, and a navigational flow between scenes. Each layer deserves thoughtful description.

ThingLink’s accessibility tools are designed to meet this challenge. You can find a full overview of the platform’s accessibility features in the Creating accessible content support article.

How Alt Text Works in ThingLink

In action! Explore this example.

ThingLink handles alt text at two levels: the background media and the media inside tags. Understanding both will help you create a fully accessible experience for every learner.

Alt Text for Background Media

The background image, video, or 3D model is the canvas on which your interactive experience is built. In ThingLink, the alt text for this background media is generated automatically using the scene’s title.

This means your scene title is doing double duty. It both labels the content in your editor and provides the default alt text for screen readers. Choosing a clear, descriptive title is therefore one of the simplest and most impactful accessibility decisions you can make.

To customise the alt text beyond the scene title, open your project, click the three dots (“More actions”) button in the top right corner, and select “Rename.” This allows you to write a more detailed description than a short title might allow.

For a full step-by-step walkthrough, visit the Adding alternative (alt) text support article.

Alt Text for Media Inside Tags

Each tag in your interactive image can contain text, images, video, audio, links, and more. Any media embedded within a tag should also carry appropriate alt text so screen reader users receive a complete description of that content.

When you add an image inside a tag, ThingLink gives you the option to add custom alt text for that specific asset. Take the time to write it. A generic filename is not a description. Ask yourself: what does a sighted learner gain from seeing this image? Write that answer as your alt text.

For video content inside tags, consider pairing it with closed captions. ThingLink supports closed captions as part of its broader accessibility toolkit, which you can explore in the Creating accessible content support article.

Writing Effective Alt Text: Practical Tips for Learning Designers

Knowing where to add alt text is half the job. Writing it well is the other half. Here are some principles to keep in mind.

Be Specific and Contextual

Good alt text describes what is visually present and why it matters in context. For a diagram of a cell in a biology module, “diagram” is not enough. “Labelled cross-section of an animal cell showing the nucleus, mitochondria, and cell membrane” gives the learner the information they need.

Keep It Concise

Aim for one to two sentences for most images. For complex diagrams or charts, consider adding a longer description in the surrounding text or within a tag’s text panel, and use the alt text to summarise the key point.

Do Not Start With “Image of” or “Photo of”

Screen readers already announce that an image is present. Starting your alt text with “image of” is redundant. Begin directly with the content.

Decorative Images Should Have Empty Alt Text

If an image is purely decorative and adds no informational value, it should have an empty alt attribute. This signals to screen readers that the image can be skipped, reducing cognitive load for the user.

Keyboard Navigation and the Accessibility Player

Alt text is one part of an accessible interactive image. Navigation is the other. A learner using a keyboard rather than a mouse needs to be able to move between tags, open content, and progress through the experience without being stuck.

ThingLink supports full keyboard navigation. Learners can press Tab to move to the next interactive element, Shift + Tab to move to the previous one, and Enter to activate a focused element. This matters enormously for users with motor disabilities or those who simply prefer keyboard-based navigation.

You can review the full list of supported controls in the Keyboard controls and hotkeys support article.

ThingLink also offers an Accessibility Player, which presents your interactive content in a format optimised for screen readers. When you write strong alt text and clear tag descriptions, the Accessibility Player transforms your visual experience into a navigable, text-based journey for learners who need it.

Tag Sequence: Plan the Order of Your Content

When a screen reader user navigates your interactive image, they move through tags in sequence. The order of that sequence should feel logical, not random.

ThinkLink allows you to set the tag sequence so you can control the order in which a keyboard or screen reader user encounters your content. Treat this like writing a script. Where do you want the learner to start? What should they explore next? A well-planned sequence makes the difference between a frustrating experience and an inclusive one.

This is particularly important for scenario-based or 360° content, where the spatial arrangement of tags on screen may not reflect the logical order of the learning journey.

Accessibility Is a Sign of Quality Design

There is a common misconception that accessibility is about accommodating a minority of users. In reality, accessible interactive images serve everyone. Clear descriptions help learners with English as an additional language. Logical tag sequences help learners with cognitive disabilities. Keyboard navigation helps anyone using a tablet with a keyboard attached.

When you design for accessibility, you raise the quality of your content for the whole audience.

If you are building interactive learning resources at scale, ThingLink’s accessibility features, including alt text, closed captions, keyboard controls, the Accessibility Player, and Microsoft Immersive Reader support, give you the tools to meet WCAG standards and your organisation’s inclusion commitments.

Ready to explore how ThingLink supports inclusive content creation? Start with the Creating accessible content support article or learn more about the platform through the ThingLink Creator Course.