Graphics and Multimedia

Article Contents

The notion of a “typical end user” is increasingly difficult to define. With EPUB 3 and eBooks easily accessible through different devices, even users who were once described as “typical” find themselves in situations where their ability to consume or comprehend content is affected by their environment or context. The challenge for EPUB 3 authors is to create content that is robust and can adapt to the wide spectrum of users and their situations.

For example, a user may need to be discrete and may not want the audio in an EPUB 3 book to disturb others - can the content be understood without the audio?

The key to making embedded media understood in a wide variety of situations is to provide ample alternatives that can be consumed in different ways. The following are some examples of what you can do:

Poet Image Description Tool

The Poet Image Description Tool is a web-based tool for creating image descriptions in existing DAISY and EPUB books. This tool has resources and tools to help content authors create good image descriptions following an extended NCAM guideline. There is also a math editor which transcribes math into readable format.

See: Poet Image Description Tool at http://diagramcenter.org/development/poet.html.

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