What is the primary purpose of alt text for images in UI design?

• A. Assists screen readers by describing meaningful content or function
• B. Improves page loading time
• C. Replaces the need for visible text
• D. Applies only to decorative images

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is accessibility: alt text gives a textual description of an image so users who can't see the screen—such as those using screen readers—can understand what the image conveys or does. The best choice describes the meaningful content or function of the image, allowing a user to grasp its purpose without viewing it. For example, alt text should convey that a magnifying glass icon is a “Search” button or that a logo image represents the company, so the interface remains understandable. Alt text isn’t there to speed up loading times, and it doesn’t replace visible text—if a UI element has visible text, that text communicates the function as well. For purely decorative images, alt can be left empty so assistive technologies skip them.