Long Descriptions: When alt text just doesn't cut it
Think of a long description like alt text's overachieving cousin.
Long descriptions are most common in STEM fields, where complex images relay a lot of vital information in one place.
Alt text is usually placed in an image’s meta data. In other words, it’s not visible unless you’re looking for it.
Long descriptions tend to be part of the visible page, document, or slide. Often, they look like captions or appendices. But that’s not the only way to do it.
Wherever you put your long description, you should include alt text to explain where the long description is. Otherwise, how would someone know where to look?
