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IBM iX
Services
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About us
Insights

Digital accessibility: New standards for all industries

As of June 2025 at the latest, many digital solutions for customers must be provided barrier-free by law. Accessible offerings have a range of advantages for both, users and companies.

How IBM iX can help you Get advice now

Inclusive offers – opportunity and competitive advantage

Accessibility means that all people – with and without disabilities – can access and use products and services on an equal basis, without particular difficulty and without assistance. This promotes participation, independence and a better user experience for everyone, as accessible solutions are often designed to be more intuitive and user-friendly. This results in many competitive advantages for businesses.

The key benefits of accessibility

Reduce costs

Thinking about accessibility from the outset will save money in the long run and avoid potential fines.

Increased sales

People aged 65 and over in Germany have a disposable purchasing power of over 720 billion euros. Accessibility makes it easier to generate sales with this target group.

Reach

Accessibility is good for SEO.
Accessible design is much easier to use. Customers spend more time on your website, which automatically improves your position in search engines.

Sustainability

Accessibility helps companies achieve their sustainability goals by eliminating inequalities.

Brand Image

Accessibility strengthens the perception of the brand and demonstrates empathy.

“Designing an accessible network unlocks previously untapped potential and creates value for businesses and people.“

Cathleen Eberhardt,

Design Director – IBM iX Berlin

Our approach: Accessibility
helps everyone

We believe that accessibility not only helps people with permanent physical limitations to access products and services. Accessible digital offerings can also help people with temporary or situational limitations.

Disability is not exclusively a health problem, but can occur in different contexts. It can affect the use of digital services permanently, temporarily, selectively or only in certain situations. Injury or illness may temporarily affect one’s ability to operate equipment or to absorb information. Distractions in certain situations, such as high noise levels, poor vision or other impairments, can do the same. As we age, our eyesight, hearing and hand mobility often deteriorate.

The assumption that all senses and abilities are fully active in everyone at all times ignores a huge group of people and the reality of their lives. As demographics change, the importance of accessibility and related services will continue to grow.

Illustration depicting individuals walking and standing

94% of all disability is acquired over one’s lifetime.

By 2030, around 29% of the population will be 65+ years old.
The number of people with disabilities will increase.

45% of people with severe disabilities are aged between 55 and 74. Age and disability are closely related.

7.8 million people in Germany are severely disabled – almost one in ten (9.4%). Worldwide, the figure is even higher at 15%.

The regulatory framework

The European Union is setting the framework that all affected B2B companies in EU member states will have to implement by mid-2025.

Abstraktes Foto zur Barrierefreiheit

European Accessibility Act (EAA)
(Guideline 2019/882)

The EAA contains general accessibility guidelines which aim to:

facilitate cross-border trade
increase market opportunities for accessible products and services
reduce costs through harmonised standards

Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG)

By enacting the Ordinance on the BFSG, Germany fulfils its obligation to implement Annex I of the EAA.

The legislation defines the features of products and services that must be accessible to people with disabilities. They are subject to accessibility requirements, which are to be implemented through various guidelines, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) or the Barrierefreie Informationstechnik-Verordnung (BITV).

How IBM iX can help you

IBM iX has over 20 years’ experience in consulting, on designing and implementing accessible digital offerings, particularly through a large number of projects in the public sector. IBM is also an active member of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which develops the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). This gives us global expertise in best practice and future developments. Our services include:

Quick start

Quick test: Initial assessment of the status quo (e.g. according to BITV, WCAG)
Regulatory framework: Mastering accessibility – a look at the legal aspects

Training

Accessibility basics training
Accessibility deep dive for designers
Accessibility deep dive for frontend developers

Advice and services on accessibility

Inclusive design thinking workshops and hackathons
Project roadmap and strategy
Support and advice during the transformation to an accessible product organisation
Accessibility checklists and personas

Implementation of accessibility