Smart Art and Shapes

Smart Art

When inserting Smart Art into a PowerPoint slide, to create a flow chart, for example, it will be tagged as a figure in the PDF and, therefore, will need alternative text.  Be sure that the alt. text is sufficiently descriptive. 

Shapes 

There are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to using shapes on a slide.  

First, if that shape conveys information, it needs to have alternative text. 

Second, depending on where a shape is placed in a slide, reading order can be an issue.  For example, if a shape is placed between two list items, the list will be tagged as a whole and the shape will be read before or after the list depending on reading order choices made while working in that checkpoint.  These reading order issues will need to be fixed in the Tags tree of the PDF document after generation!   If you're not familiar with fixing reading order issues in the PDF's Tags tree you may want to consider a different design option and avoid using shapes, text boxes, etc. 

In addition, so that content is read correctly in the PDF, shapes may need to be grouped with other elements on the slide.  Refer to the article on Grouping Elements if needed.