Which of the following methods is recommended for decorative or redundant icon fonts?

The recommended method for handling decorative or redundant icon fonts is to set them to aria-hidden="true." This attribute indicates to assistive technologies that the element is purely decorative and should be ignored by screen readers. By marking icon fonts that do not add useful content or meaning in the context of the webpage as hidden, you enhance the experience for users who rely on those technologies, preventing unnecessary information from being presented to them.

Using aria-hidden="true" allows you to maintain the visual design of the site without compromising accessibility. It effectively communicates that the icons do not convey important information, thus streamlining the experience for users with disabilities.

In contrast, using aria-label may lead to confusion since it implies there is meaningful content that needs to be announced, which is not the case for decorative elements. Assigning role="img" could also mislead assistive technologies by suggesting that the element functions like an image that conveys meaningful data. Finally, setting an empty alt attribute is typically used for decorative images in the context of the <img> tag but does not apply adequately to icon fonts, as they often involve text representations rather than traditional images. Hence, aria-hidden="true" is the most appropriate choice for decorative or redundant icon fonts.