[Sophia Manalo]: Midterm Portfolio – #1 Alt Text Comic

The Project

link to project

this is sophia manalo's alt text project.

 

mideterm

Project Description 

This project was a study of alt text and how there is a lack of subjectivity in alt text. Oftentimes, photos presented through alt text can seem quite objective, and have no personal input in it. Thus, through this project, I wanted to highlight the vast differences in adding in personal experience into alt text versus simply just describing the image at a surface level ‘objectiveness.’

Documentation 

In this project, I wanted to emphasize the contrast in the alt text to the caption by writing the alt text to be very “objective” and the caption to feel much more personal, and to provide the context of the significance of these photos (I chose not to make the photos related/non-narrative.) Similarly to how we did an exercise in class comparing objectivity versus interpretation and/or personal experience when digesting an image, I wanted to highlight through this comic how stark and surprising it is that alt text can leave out such meaningful details.

First, I started by choosing the last few images in my camera roll which happen to be these three: A bowl of my ceramics, a photo on film of my friend and I on a picnic, and a miffy wedding doll screenshot

My friend and I sitting on top of a hill that overlooks the water and the city of San Diego. There is a lawn chair with a person sitting in it in front of them.
My friend and I sitting on top of a hill that overlooks the water and the city of San Diego. There is a lawn chair with a person sitting in it in front of them.
four handmade green bowls arranged in a square pattern are shown on sitting on a table.
Four handmade green bowls arranged in a square pattern are shown on sitting on a table.

These are little rabbit dolls. The one o n the left is wearing a tuxedo, and the one on the right is wearing a wedding dress. They are still in the package and there is a label that says 'Miffy.'
These are little rabbit dolls. The one o n the left is wearing a tuxedo, and the one on the right is wearing a wedding dress. They are still in the package and there is a label that says ‘Miffy.’
This is a screenshot of Google Slides while working on the project. The photos have been inserted.
This is a screenshot of Google Slides while working on the project. The photos have been inserted.
This is an image of me working on the project on Google Slides once again. I put in the captions and also the alt text at this point.
This is an image of me working on the project on Google Slides once again. I put in the captions and also the alt text at this point.

I then placed them into my google slide and started to write the alt text of each of these images. It was hard to remove myself from these photos because they all mean something to me— hence they are in my camera roll — and always felt tempted to inject some kind of personal detail to the descriptions.

Next I wrote the caption which I felt was much easier because I felt like I was simply telling a story behind these photos, what they meant to me, and the context in which they were waken. It is very clear I have a lot to say about each photo from the longer captions.

Reflection Questions

  • What is the theme of the work?
    • The theme of the work is to emphasize the contrast of alt text versus a caption, and how oftentimes if not taken seriously, alt text can miss major details that the photo portrays if there was no personal description there. I wanted to juxtapose the oftentimes blunt and “objective” alt text to something that felt more like sharing a personal experience.
  • How is that theme particularly expressed through the modality of the week?
    • I think that this theme is expressed through the modality of objectivity versus subjectivity which we had discussed more in detail on Tuesday’s class when we looked at the art works and had to describe the image for what it is versus how we felt looking at it. This is something that I believe is very important in terms of traditional art-related practices as many of the mediums are NOT initially digital, and thus it can be hard to translate it from its initial medium to a digital format that is accessible for people with perhaps, low-vision. This is evident in the captions and the alt text when read by a screen reader
  • Which elements of the work are beautifully/wonderfully/perfectly expressed through the modality?
    • I think elements of the work that are expressed wonderfully through the modality are the captions, which could be read by a screen reader because they offer so much more insight than the alt text. I think again, that the contrast between the caption and the alt-text really give us a feel for what it would be like to lose some data/information about the image.
  • Which elements are lost or inexpressible through the modality of the week?
    • I think that the elements that are lost throughout he modality of the week is the ability for a person to decipher what something means to them by themselves. I think through using screen readers and alt-text, people may be discouraged to think about alternate interpretations of an image, which is oftentimes, an important aspect of art.
  • Who does this project exclude? Who would not be able to interact with this work?
    • I think that this excludes those who may have hearing disabilities, which would make it hard for them to hear the alt-text. I think that alt-text is useful for everyone, not just those with low-vision. Additionally, those who may not have the ability to use their hands to navigate the screen using a screen reader to see the alt-text may not be able to interact with this work.
  • Who is this modality not accessible for?
    • This modality is not accessible for those who are not able to hear as well, since the point of a screen reader is to have an auditory vessel that allows those with low-vision or those who are blind a replacement for the visual vessel that communicates information to them. In terms of looking at the assignment as a whole, they could still read the caption, but simply miss out on the alt text.
  • Now that you’ve identified who is excluded, what is one way you could remix this piece to include another population? (You don’t have to make this part, but think about it and write about it).
    • I think that if I were to include another population, I would try to include those who may have a hard time paying attention or gathering information. When using a screen reader I find it reads things particularly fast which can be hard to digest for those with cognitive disabilities. I would try to slow it down or be able to change the audio settings of a screen reader for this reason.

Additional Modality (if applicable) 

What modality did you apply? 

The modality I chose to apply was plain language. Here is the link!

How did you decide on this modality?

The purpose of this projects is to highlight the objectivity of alt text — which contrasts the subjectivity of an image’s caption. The feeling and emotion behind a photo, especially viewed as a piece of art is lost when alt text is not sufficient in providing emotional context for those who need it. The lack of context forces groups that are unable to interact through sight to guess the meaning behind photos, causing the artists intentionality behind the work to be lost. Through better alt captions, this can be both interpreted by all, and for the artists intentions to aid in shaping interpretations of their own work. 
Through having a plain language version of this piece, people regardless of loss of sight or cognitive disability can understand the context of a piece of work I think that this is important because making a modality for one group, makes it more accessible for all, and I believe through having a plain language version of my alt text comic, more populations can interact with it. 
 

What does the beholder gain from this additional modality? Why? 

The beholder gains a more simple way of interpreting what is on the screen. It is more straightforward due to the nature of the prose of each caption and alt text. Additionally a beholder may gain a better sense of understanding because now you may not only be looking at it (if they have full vision), but hearing an audio reading may allow people to engage more deeply in the comic. 

Does the beholder lose anything from this modality? What? 

Through having such descriptive caption, the person perhaps interpreting the comic will lose having a more personal input. This may lead to less creativity in interpretation. Additionally, because alt text is supposed to be descriptive, the plain language version might not be able to describe in depth what is on the screen. 

Show documentation of this modality, and describe it if it’s not accessible on a screen (ie, if it’s tactile if it’s a scent) 

This is a toggle button that I coded. The word 'on' is on the screen.
This is a toggle button that I coded. The word ‘on’ is on the screen.

I first started out by making a toggle button and making my code repository. I made this on github, which is where you can access this link. I built out my html pages to look like the original Google Slides in my HTML

This is an HTML file that has webpage elements on it.
This is an HTML file that has webpage elements on it.. 
This image is a css style sheet that has style properties for elements on a webpage.
This image is a css style sheet that has style properties for elements on a webpage.

After building it out and completing the javascript to toggle the captions and alt-text between plain language and regular, I just added some finishing touches. I changed the color of the text and added some fun fonts!

This is my webpage right after I finished making the toggle function.
This is my webpage right after I finished making the toggle function.