Accessible videos: captions, description and the player

Classify the content before production

Note whether your content is a recording or a live stream and whether it contains audio, video or both. The relevant WCAG requirements depend on this. For prerecorded videos with audio, captions are generally a level A matter; audio description is important for an AA target where there is relevant visual information. For live videos with audio, captions are part of level AA. Check exceptions and the specific content against the W3C guidance.

Ask the practical question: what is missing without sound, and what is missing without the picture? A phone number shown on screen or a work step demonstrated without narration may need an additional way in.

Captions also convey important sounds

Accessible captions include not only spoken words but also relevant sounds and any necessary indication of who is speaking. An alarm can matter as much to the action as a sentence. Check the timing and readability. Captions should not cover important visual information.

Automatic transcription can speed up the draft. But check names, numbers, technical terms, speaker changes and sentence boundaries. A misrecognised “not” in particular changes the meaning. Translated dialogue subtitles are not automatically complete captions for deaf people either.

Make visible information audible

In a tutorial video, a lot can be built into the narration: “On the left, open the Invoices section and select New invoice” explains more than “Click here”. That way, important visual information becomes part of the normal soundtrack. If that is not enough, plan an audio description or a suitable described version. Check whether your player reliably offers the chosen format; simply having the file does not make it usable.

Offer a transcript as content in its own right

A transcript makes the content accessible as readable text. A descriptive transcript adds relevant visual information and also helps people who cannot use sound and picture together. Structure longer texts with headings and link them directly next to the video. For a prerecorded video with audio, however, a transcript does not automatically replace the synchronised alternatives required for an AA target.

Test the embedded player

1. 1Reach play, pause, volume, captions and, where available, audio description with the keyboard.
2. 2Check with a screen reader that the controls have clear names and states.
3. 3Check visible focus, contrast and operation when zoomed in and on narrow screens.
4. 4Play the video without sound and check that the captions are complete and well timed.
5. 5Listen without looking at the picture and note unclear references or missing visual information.

Publish changes together

Manage the film, captions, described version and transcript as content that belongs together. If a price, a phone number or a work step changes, check all versions. Name one person responsible for the final check. A short sign-off report with the player, test date and open points makes maintenance easier and prevents a required track from getting lost in a later upload.