Accessibility tips for building elearning content

Images can make learning content more engaging, but for learners who rely on screen readers, those visuals need accompanying text descriptions. This is where alternative text (alt text) becomes essential. Alt text provides a clear explanation of an image so that individuals who cannot see it can still understand its purpose and meaning. Without it, screen readers either skip the image entirely or read the file name, resulting in poor user experience.

Best practices

• Be clear and concise: Keep alt text short - ideally under 125 characters - so screen readers can process it quickly.
• Focus on purpose, not appearance: Instead of writing “a chart,” use something like “bar chart illustrating sales growth over three years.”
• Skip redundant phrases: Avoid starting with “image of” or “picture of,” as screen readers already indicate it’s an image.
• Include important text: If the image contains unique text not shown elsewhere, make sure it’s included in the alt text.
• Leave decorative images blank: For visuals that serve no informational purpose, omit alt text so screen readers ignore them.
• Check for context: Ask yourself, “Would removing this image change the meaning?” If yes, add that missing context to the alt text.

Color and contrast are essential for making digital content easy to read. Learners with visual impairments or color blindness may find text difficult to interpret if it doesn’t clearly stand out from its background. Using high-contrast design ensures that all users can comfortably read and navigate course materials, regardless of their vision or device. Even well-structured content can become inaccessible if contrast is overlooked.

Best practices

• Start with defaults: Arlo’s built-in themes already meet contrast standards, so advise customers to use these presets whenever possible.
• Review custom colors: If they change default theme colors, they should manually verify that text and background contrast complies with WCAG guidelines.
• Use trusted tools: Free resources like WebAIM’s Contrast Checker make it easy to confirm compliance quickly.

Different screen layouts create varied learning experiences, but they don’t all work equally well with assistive technologies. While Arlo’s standard screens are optimized for screen readers, certain formats may pose challenges depending on the learner’s needs or the technology in use. Selecting the right screen type ensures content remains both engaging and accessible for everyone.

Best practices

• Use standard screens confidently: All default Arlo screen types are compatible with screen readers.
• Be cautious with Hotspot screens: Hotspots add interactive labels to images, which may not always be interpreted correctly by screen readers. If key information is in a hotspot, provide it in text elsewhere.
• Verify embedded tools: The Embed screen allows third-party content (e.g., videos, interactive widgets). Since accessibility varies across providers, customers should confirm each tool works with screen readers and other assistive technologies before embedding.
• Offer alternatives when needed: If a screen type or embedded tool cannot be made accessible, provide the same information in another format (e.g., text summary or downloadable file).

Video content is a powerful way to engage learners, but they must also be accessible. Many learners depend on captions to understand video-based content.

How Arlo supports this

• When embedding videos from platforms like YouTube or Vimeo, you can take advantage of their built-in captioning tools.
• Both platforms allow you to upload your own caption files for maximum accuracy or use auto-generated captions (which should always be reviewed for mistakes).

Best practices

• Always enable captions for any instructional video.
• Whenever possible, upload a professionally created caption file instead of relying solely on auto-captions.
• Ensure captions are properly synchronized and accurately reflect spoken content, including key sounds (e.g., “[applause]” or “[music]”).
• Consider providing transcripts for video and audio content to support learners who prefer text or use screen readers.

Text should always be presented in a format that assistive technologies can read. If learners depend on screen readers, any text embedded within an image (such as screenshots of slides, infographics, or banners) will not be detected and therefore cannot be read aloud.

Best practices

• Avoid uploading images with large text blocks.
• Instead, place the text directly in the course content so assistive technologies can access it.
• If an image includes essential text (e.g., a chart or labeled diagram), provide that text in the alt text or include a descriptive explanation alongside the image.