A11y Tickets

Image Alt Text Accessibility Ticket Example

Image findings are easy to under-ticket. The useful ticket names the image's job in the flow, whether the problem is code or content, and what QA should verify after the fix.

Do not write "add alt text" as the whole ticket. Decorative, linked, instructional, product, and chart images need different acceptance criteria.

Open this alt-text example in the generator

Developer-ready ticket

# [High] Product listing: linked product images expose repeated unhelpful names

## Summary for client / product owner
Screen reader users hear repeated image links without enough product context while browsing the product grid. This makes it harder to compare products and choose the correct item from the listing.

## Developer ticket

**Area / flow:** Product listing cards
**Assistive technology context:** Screen reader test
**Finding source:** Audit note
**Suggested severity:** High
**User impact:** Causes serious confusion or high effort

### Expected behavior
Each product card exposes a clear accessible path to the product detail page. If the image is the primary link, the link name should identify the product. If the product title already provides the equivalent link, the image should not create a second vague link.

### Actual behavior
Product images are links with `alt="image"`. Screen reader users hear repeated "image link" announcements that do not identify which product will open.

### Reproduction steps
1. Open a product listing page with multiple product cards.
2. Navigate through the product grid with a screen reader.
3. Move across the linked image and product-title controls.
4. Observe that image links do not expose useful product names and may duplicate adjacent links.

### Evidence / raw finding
- Product card images use generic alt text: `alt="image"`.
- The image link opens the product detail page.
- Product names are visible in adjacent card text.

### Likely WCAG references to verify
- 1.1.1 Non-text Content
- 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context)
- 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value

### Acceptance criteria
- Linked product images expose a useful accessible name that identifies the destination, or decorative duplicate images are removed from the accessibility tree when an adjacent product link already serves the same purpose.
- Repeated product cards do not create two indistinguishable links to the same product.
- CMS/content guidance states who owns product-image alt text when it is editorial content.
- A screen reader retest confirms that each product card can be identified and opened without guessing from repeated "image" announcements.

### Fix direction
Inspect the product-card component before changing content. If the image and title are separate links to the same destination, consider one accessible link pattern for the card or hide the decorative image from assistive technologies. If the image carries product-specific meaning that is not repeated nearby, generate or store product-specific alt text in the CMS.

When to split image findings

Paste-ready input for the generator

Raw finding:
Image or icon evidence:
- element:
- current alt / accessible name:
- surrounding text:
- destination or action, if linked:

Page or flow:
[Product listing, article page, checkout step, dashboard chart, CMS content block.]

Retest context:
[Screen reader navigation, browser accessibility inspection, scanner rule, or manual content review.]

Ticket goal:
Draft a ticket that distinguishes content ownership from component behavior and includes acceptance criteria for the image's actual purpose.

Related resources