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Alt Text Design

Community
Owl-Listener
alt-text-design

Write meaningful alternative text for images, charts, diagrams, and visual content. Use when creating or reviewing alt text, image descriptions, chart summaries, or any visual content that needs a text equivalent. Triggers on: alt text, image description, alternative text, screen reader, decorative image, chart description, infographic, data visualisation, complex image, meaningful alt.

Overview

PublisherOwl-Listener
Repositoryinclusive-design-skills
Skill namealt-text-design
Stars
108
Forks
28
Bundled files
Instructions only
LicenseMIT
Links
Skill sourceRepository
  • Markdown instructions

    A SKILL.md file the model loads on demand, so it only costs tokens when a request actually matches.

  • Works with any LLM

    AI skills are plain Markdown, not provider-specific code, so this works with GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model.

  • Self-contained

    Everything the model needs lives in the instructions — no extra files to sync.

  • Open source

    Published by Owl-Listener on GitHub. Read the source before you install it.

Installation

Install the Alt Text Design AI skill in TypingMind to use it with any LLM, or drop it into another agent that reads SKILL.md.

1

Install in TypingMind

TypingMind installs a skill straight from its GitHub folder — it reads SKILL.md, bundles the resource files, and stores the result locally.

  1. Open the app and go to Plugins → Skills.
  2. Choose "Install from GitHub".
  3. Paste the skill folder URL below and confirm.
    https://github.com/Owl-Listener/inclusive-design-skills/tree/main/accessible-content/skills/alt-text-design
  4. Enable the skill in any chat where you want it available.
Plugins → Skills → Add skill → From GitHub URL, then paste the folder URL and press Continue.
2

Install in another agent

Any agent that reads the Agent Skills format can use this skill — copy the folder into that agent's skills directory.

Claude Code — .claude/skills
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Owl-Listener/inclusive-design-skills.git /tmp/inclusive-design-skills
mkdir -p .claude/skills
cp -r /tmp/inclusive-design-skills/accessible-content/skills/alt-text-design .claude/skills/alt-text-design
Restart Claude Code after copying so it picks up the new skill.

Use it in TypingMind

Enable Alt Text Design in any TypingMind chat and the model takes it from there. Its name and description sit in the system prompt, and the moment a request matches, the model loads the full instructions itself — you never invoke it by hand, and it costs no tokens until it is actually used.

The model loads Alt Text Design on its own as soon as a request matches it.

Works with any AI model

AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so Alt Text Design is not tied to the model it was written for. Install it once in TypingMind and use it with GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama, or a local model you run yourself — all on your own API keys.

  • Loaded only when it is needed

    The system prompt carries just the name and description. The instructions are fetched on the first matching request, so an idle skill costs nothing.

  • Switch models mid-chat

    Because the skill is instructions rather than code, changing model does not break it — the next model reads the same SKILL.md.

Skill instructions

This is the SKILL.md content the model loads. Read it before installing — a skill is instructions your model will follow.

Alt Text Design

Write alt text that conveys the same information and purpose as the visual content — not just what the image looks like, but what it communicates.

Core Principle

Alt text answers the question: if this image disappeared, what information would be lost? That's what needs to be in the alt text.

Decision Tree

1. Is the image purely decorative?

  • Background textures, dividers, visual flourishes
  • Images that repeat information already in adjacent text
  • Action: use empty alt (alt="") so screen readers skip it

2. Is the image functional?

  • A linked logo, an icon button, an image link
  • Action: alt text describes the function, not the image
  • Logo linking to homepage: alt="Company name — home"
  • Search icon button: alt="Search"
  • NOT alt="magnifying glass icon"

3. Is the image informative?

  • Photos, illustrations, screenshots that add information
  • Action: describe the information the image conveys
  • Photo of a damaged product: alt="Crack running along the bottom edge of the screen"
  • NOT alt="Photo of a phone" or alt="product-image-032.jpg"

4. Is the image complex?

  • Charts, graphs, diagrams, infographics, maps
  • Action: short alt text summarising the key message PLUS a longer description nearby (in the page text or a linked detail)
  • Bar chart: alt="Bar chart showing sales growth — details below" followed by a text summary of the data
  • NOT alt="bar chart" and not the entire data set in the alt attribute

Writing Good Alt Text

Be Specific

  • Bad: "A group of people"
  • Good: "Three team members reviewing a prototype on a whiteboard"

Convey Purpose, Not Just Appearance

  • Bad: "Red circle with a number"
  • Good: "3 unread notifications"

Match the Context

The same image needs different alt text in different contexts:

  • On a recipe page: "Finished risotto in a white bowl, garnished with parmesan and basil"
  • On a kitchenware product page: "Round white ceramic serving bowl, 22cm diameter"

Keep It Concise

  • Aim for one sentence, two at most
  • Don't start with "Image of..." or "Picture of..." — screen readers already announce it as an image
  • For complex images: keep alt text short and provide detail elsewhere

Specific Content Types

Charts and Graphs

  • Alt text: state the type and the key takeaway
  • Provide a text summary or data table nearby
  • "Line chart showing website traffic doubling between January and June 2026. Full data in the table below."

Screenshots

  • Describe what the screenshot shows that matters to the reader
  • "Settings panel with the notifications toggle switched off"
  • NOT "Screenshot of the settings page"

Icons with Labels

  • If the icon has a visible text label, the icon is decorative (alt="")
  • If the icon is the only indicator, the alt text must convey the meaning

Images of Text

  • Avoid images of text wherever possible — use real text
  • If unavoidable: the alt text must contain the full text in the image

Assessment Questions

  1. Does every non-decorative image have meaningful alt text?
  2. Does the alt text convey purpose, not just appearance?
  3. Are decorative images marked with empty alt?
  4. Do complex images have both short alt text and a longer description?
  5. Would someone using a screen reader get the same information as someone seeing the image?

Frequently asked questions

What does the Alt Text Design AI skill do?

Write meaningful alternative text for images, charts, diagrams, and visual content. Use when creating or reviewing alt text, image descriptions, chart summaries, or any visual content that needs a text equivalent. Triggers on: alt text, image description, alternative text, screen reader, decorative image, chart description, infographic, data visualisation, complex image, meaningful alt.

Why use Alt Text Design on TypingMind?

Because you install it once and use it with any model. Alt Text Design is plain Markdown rather than provider-specific code, so the same skill runs on GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model — and you can switch model mid-chat without it breaking. TypingMind runs on your own API keys, so you pay providers directly instead of a per-seat subscription, and your skills and chats stay in your own storage.

How do I install Alt Text Design in TypingMind?

Open Plugins → Skills → Install from GitHub in TypingMind and paste https://github.com/Owl-Listener/inclusive-design-skills/tree/main/accessible-content/skills/alt-text-design. TypingMind reads its SKILL.md and installs it as a skill you can enable per chat.

Which AI models can use Alt Text Design?

Any model you connect in TypingMind. AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and local models can all load this skill when a request matches it.

How many AI models can I use with Alt Text Design?

As many as you like. As long as a model supports skills, you can use Alt Text Design with it — GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama and more — all on TypingMind with your own API keys.

Is the Alt Text Design AI skill free?

Yes. It is published on GitHub by Owl-Listener under the MIT license. You only pay your own AI provider for the tokens you use.

What are AI skills?

An AI skill is a reusable instruction bundle that teaches an AI model how to do one specific task. It follows the open Agent Skills format: a SKILL.md file with a name and description, plus any scripts, templates or reference files the model may need. The model reads the instructions only when your request matches the skill, so an installed skill costs nothing until it is used.

How are AI skills different from plugins or MCP servers?

A plugin or MCP server gives a model new tools to call — code that runs somewhere and returns a result. An AI skill gives the model knowledge and process instead: how to approach a task, which steps to follow, what good output looks like. Skills are plain Markdown, so they need no server, no API key and no runtime, and they work with any model.

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