The digital landscape is evolving, and with the Accessibility Act 2025 (EAA) on the horizon, businesses must prioritize UX design accessibility to stay compliant and competitive. This legislation will enforce stricter accessibility standards, ensuring that digital platforms are usable by everyone, including people with disabilities.
Failing to comply could result in legal penalties, lost revenue, and reputational damage. But beyond compliance, embracing UX design accessibility also comes with other benefits, such as an enhanced user experience, expanded audience, and an unmistakable demonstration of corporate social responsibility.
1. Understanding the Accessibility Act 2025: What do I need to know ahead of the deadline?
The European Accessibility Act represents a significant shift in how digital products must be designed. Coming into force on June 28, 2025, the EAA will mandate accessibility standards for a wide range of digital services and products across the European Union.
It applies to:
- Websites and mobile apps
- E-commerce platforms
- Banking and financial services
- Public sector digital services
Here are some of the key requirements under the EAA 2025:
- Perceivable content – Text alternatives for images, captions for videos, and adaptable font sizes.
- Operable interfaces – Full keyboard navigation, no time-limited inputs without extensions, and clear focus indicators.
- Understandable information – Consistent navigation, readable text, and clear error messages.
- Robust compatibility – Works across assistive technologies like screen readers and voice recognition software.
To meet these standards, UX designers must incorporate accessibility checks throughout the design process. You should also read the article written by Ergomania UX Agency on the subject of the EAA for a deeper legal and technical breakdown.
2. Why UX design accessibility matters beyond compliance
While the Accessibility Act 2025 mandates changes, businesses that embrace UX design accessibility can expect to gain:
- A larger audience. According to the WHO, over 1 billion people worldwide live with disabilities. Furthermore, accessible websites rank better in SEO, since Google favors compliant sites.
- Improved band reputation. Some of the biggest companies today have built customer loyalty through inclusive UX design. Not to mention that the majority of users tend to abandon sites with poor accessibility.
- Legal and financial protection. Non-compliance can lead to lawsuits. What’s more, proactive compliance can reduce costly last-minute redesigns.
Implementing accessibility-first UX design strategies – Insights from a UX agency
Creating accessible products isn’t just about compliance. It’s about designing better user experiences for everyone. Here are some practical approaches to integrate accessibility into your UX design workflow:
Conduct comprehensive accessibility audits
Begin by evaluating your existing digital products against WCAG standards, which align closely with EAA requirements. Tools like Axe, WAVE, or Lighthouse can help identify immediate issues that need addressing.
A thorough audit should assess:
- Color contrast and visual presentation
- Keyboard navigation and focus management
- Screen reader compatibility
- Form accessibility and validation
- Multimedia accessibility (captions, transcripts)
- Dynamic content behavior
- Responsive design for different devices and zoom levels
Document all findings with severity levels and recommended fixes to create an actionable remediation plan!
Design with diverse users in mind
Expand your user personas to include people with various disabilities. Consider how each user group might interact with your product and design accordingly:
Visual impairments. Provide sufficient color contrast, avoid conveying information through color alone, ensure text is resizable without breaking layouts, and implement descriptive alt text for images.
Motor disabilities. Ensure keyboard navigability for those who can’t use a mouse, implement large enough click/touch targets, provide alternative input methods, and design with appropriate spacing between interactive elements.
Hearing impairments. Add captions and transcripts for audio and video content, provide visual alternatives for audio cues, and consider implementing sign language options for critical content.
Cognitive disabilities. Implement proper heading structures for better content organization, use plain language, provide clear and consistent navigation, include progress indicators, and allow users to disable animations or autoplay content.
Test with real users
Theoretical compliance isn’t enough—involve users with disabilities in your testing processes. Their feedback will highlight practical issues that automated tests might miss and provide insights into creating genuinely usable experiences.
Consider implementing:
- Moderated usability testing with diverse users
- Regular accessibility-focused focus groups
- Partnerships with disability organizations for ongoing feedback
- Accessibility advisory panels for major products or redesigns
Document insights from these sessions and incorporate findings into your UX design system and processes.
