Questions and Answers

Line charts can sometimes be hard to read when they contain a lot of information. I've heard that you can supplement the chart with a table. Is that something you recommend?

Everyone processes information differently, especially when it comes to numbers. By supplementing the chart with a table, you provide more ways for people to understand the information. Also, try to limit the number of lines in a line chart to four or five. Otherwise, it can easily become cluttered, especially since you also need to leave room for clear labels.

Is it possible to perform a grayscale test in Word as well, or is that feature limited to PowerPoint?

You can always test how colors work in grayscale by displaying or converting the content to black and white. This way, you can check whether the information is still legible without color.

How should one handle pie charts that contain a lot of information and where the pie slices are so narrow that they are hard to distinguish?

If a pie chart contains so many categories that some slices become very small, you can group the smallest categories under a single category, such as “Other.” Then clarify which parts are included in that category in the text next to the chart.  

If you have a lot of old report templates with fairly complicated tables, where would you start if you only had time to improve a few things?

Start by reviewing what information you actually want to convey. Can it be presented in a different, clearer way? If a table is very complicated and doesn’t work at all from an accessibility perspective, it might be better to start over from scratch. Otherwise, you can go a long way by streamlining the structure, clarifying the content, and breaking up large tables into several smaller ones.

What do you think we should include in our shared templates to make it easier for all colleagues to do things right?

Create well-designed templates where the available options are also the simplest. The template should include pre-formatted styles for headings and text, table formats with header rows, and a color scheme with tested contrast. With tools like TemplateExtender and ready-made chart templates, all colleagues have immediate access to the correct formatting, colors, and charts. This ensures things are done right from the start, rather than having to correct errors later.  

How much can we rely on the built-in accessibility check, and what do we still need to assess on our own?

The built-in accessibility checker provides a good indication and identifies technical errors, such as missing alt text, missing header rows in tables, and poor text contrast. However, it only checks that elements are present, not that they function properly. We need to assess for ourselves whether the alt text is understandable, whether the heading structure and reading order are logical, and whether information is conveyed solely through color. We must also check the contrast in charts and images ourselves. A passing check does not, therefore, mean that the document is accessible.  

How do you create ready-to-use formats (chart templates) with the correct contrast, colors, and patterns for charts in Word and PowerPoint templates?

You can create ready-made charts with well-thought-out colors, contrasts, and patterns that users can easily use as a starting point. With TemplateExtender, for example, you can compile a collection of ready-made PowerPoint slides with charts that users can insert with a single click and then edit as needed.  

How do screen readers handle charts in accessibility-compliant documents? Can they read aloud and convey the chart’s content in an understandable way, or do they skip the chart itself and read only the alternative text?

Screen readers cannot interpret the content of a chart. They treat it as an image and only read aloud the chart’s alt text. Therefore, charts always need alt text that conveys the message. It’s even better to include the important information in the body text. That way, the chart clarifies the text, rather than being the sole source of the message.

Best Practices

1. The alternative text should convey the message, not describe the appearance. For example: "Bar chart: Sales increased each quarter in 2025, from 2.1 to 3.4 Mkr." Not "A blue bar chart with four bars."

2. Include the details in the body text, either as a brief summary or as a proper data table next to the chart. This makes the data accessible to screen readers and clearer for all other readers as well.

3. Use a caption or heading that explains what the chart shows.

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