What is the purpose of the alt attribute in <img>?

0-2 years experience

1. 1We're adding a product photo to a new item page. How would you write the alt attribute for that image?
2. 2If the image fails to load in the browser, what will the user see based on your alt text?
3. 3What happens for a screen‑reader user when an <img> tag has no alt attribute?

2-5 years experience

1. 1Our CMS lets editors upload images, but many leave the alt field blank. How would you enforce proper alt usage without breaking their workflow?
2. 2An accessibility audit flagged missing alt on decorative icons used throughout the UI. How would you fix this while keeping the layout unchanged?
3. 3Why might a very long alt description be problematic for users of assistive technology?

5-8 years experience

1. 1We serve millions of images via a CDN. Discuss the trade‑offs between generating alt text automatically with AI versus requiring manual entry at scale.
2. 2Design a linting or build‑time check that ensures every <img> in our codebase has an appropriate alt attribute, considering legacy pages that may not follow current guidelines.
3. 3Our component library renders icons as <img>. How would you handle alt text for decorative versus meaningful icons to satisfy both accessibility and SEO requirements?

8+ years experience

1. 1We're migrating a large legacy monolith to a component‑driven architecture. Outline a strategy for auditing and updating alt attributes across thousands of pages while balancing developer velocity and compliance.
2. 2Describe a cross‑team policy for alt text in a multi‑brand platform that must handle localization, brand guidelines, and automated testing.
3. 3If we need to support screen readers in multiple languages, how would you manage the generation, translation, and maintenance of alt text at scale?