How to Fix Tooltip and Hover Text in Storyline 360

Overview

Small icons that reveal extra text on hover, a "?" help icon, an info bubble, a glossary term, are a common way to add detail without cluttering a slide. The problem is how that text is being delivered. If it only appears when a mouse hovers over the icon, a learner using a keyboard or a screen reader may never see or hear it.

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Find every icon or object on the slide that shows extra text on hover.

2. 2

   Note what that text says, this is the description you need to preserve for every learner.

3. 3

   In Storyline 360, add that same text as the object's alt text (right-click the object, Size & Position, or Format Shape), so a screen reader reads it aloud automatically.

4. 4

   If the text needs to be reachable by sighted keyboard users too, also add it as a visible caption near the icon, not only inside alt text.

5. 5

   Tab to the icon to confirm it's reachable, then test with a screen reader to confirm the description is read aloud.

6. 6

   Keep the hover tooltip if you like the visual effect, but it can no longer be the only way to reach that text.

Screenshots

Tips

• If the tooltip text just repeats something already visible elsewhere on the slide, you may not need to duplicate it, confirm nothing is actually lost first.
• Test by unplugging your mouse. If you can't reach the same text with Tab, a keyboard-only learner can't either.

Common mistakes

• Assuming a visible "?" icon is self-explanatory without checking whether its text reaches keyboard and screen reader users too.
• Relying only on the browser's native hover tooltip (the small gray box that appears after a pause), which a keyboard alone can never trigger.

Why it matters

Some learners can't hover a mouse to see a tooltip, and a screen reader won't read it aloud unless it's connected properly. Without another way to reach that text, those learners miss it completely.