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Bar Charts

Below are the guidelines for describing a Bar Chart.

Describe only the visual features that convey meaning.
Focus on the meaning/relationships of symbols and not their appearance.
Describe the layout of the graph before describing specific data (i.e. "A Bar Chart of …")
State what the graph is telling you before you describe its details (i.e. The chart shows murder rates in Chicago from 1990 to 2020.)
Include implied visual impact.
Provide the most relevant information first, like what is being measured on the X and Y axes.
Make sure what you are describing is relevant to the image. Do not simply repeat the titles and labels without providing information about what the graph portrays.
For units, use the full word instead of short forms (ex. Use “seconds” instead of “s”) and ensure the unit is described consistently throughout the description.

For graphs, you can write a summary of the chart and what it is saying then put the data into a table or list for clarity.

If you have any questions, post your question on the Alt-Text Q&A

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