As digital ecosystems grow more complex and more businesses rely on enterprise-level platforms, accessibility has shifted from a niche design consideration to a central pillar of modern UX. And in 2025 and beyond, accessibility will no longer be just a “best practice”.
It will be a legal requirement.
The Accessibility Act 2025 (officially known as the European Accessibility Act, or EAA) introduces a clear, unified framework across the EU to ensure that essential digital products and services are usable by everyone, including people with disabilities.
For enterprise software providers, this means redesigning not just interfaces but also processes, content, and user journeys with accessibility built into the very foundations.
This article explores what this means in practice, which UX accessibility requirements you need to prepare for, and how to make sure your enterprise software UX is fully compliant.
What does the Accessibility Act 2025 mean for enterprise software providers?
The Accessibility Act 2025 has taken effect on June 28th, 2025, and its impact on enterprise software will continue to be far-reaching. While consumer-facing digital products have long been encouraged to adopt accessibility best practices, the new Act ensures that enterprise tools (from CRM platforms to HR systems and B2B SaaS solutions) will also be held to strict standards.
For enterprise software companies, this is both a challenge and an opportunity.
- On one hand, compliance requires thoughtful redesign, testing, and in some cases, significant technical updates.
- On the other hand, accessible design often leads to cleaner, clearer, more efficient interfaces for all users: not just people with disabilities.
The core goal of the Act is simple: give everyone equal access to digital services. But the ripple effect for enterprise software UX will be enormous.
Key UX accessibility requirements you need to prepare for
To comply with the Accessibility Act 2025, enterprise platforms must meet a series of UX accessibility requirements that impact everything from navigation to content structure to system architecture.
NOTE: These requirements are not vague guidelines! They are specific, enforceable standards. For more information about the Accessibility Act 2025, click here: ergomania.eu.
Here are some of the most important ones enterprise teams should prioritize:
- Keyboard-only navigation must be fully supported
Many users with motor impairments navigate software using keyboard inputs rather than a mouse. This means that every component (including menus, forms, tables, modals, and dashboards) must be reachable and operable via keyboard alone.
- Compatibility with assistive technologies is non-negotiable
Screen readers, voice control tools, magnification software, and braille displays: enterprise software must work harmoniously with them all. If UI elements aren’t labeled correctly, if dynamic content isn’t announced properly, or if structure is inconsistent, software becomes unusable for a large group of users.
- Content must be easy to read and understand
Enterprise solutions often rely on technical vocabulary and dense, jargon-heavy instructions. The Accessibility Act encourages clearer, more concise language, benefiting every user, not just those with cognitive or reading impairments.
- Identification and security workflows must be accessible
Login screens, authentication steps, password resets, and multi-factor verification processes must include alternatives that do not rely solely on vision or biometric input.
- Visual design must meet recognized accessibility standards
This includes:
- Compliant color contrast ratios
- Resizable text
- Logical heading hierarchies
- Clear input field labels
- Avoiding text embedded in images
These guidelines might sound simple to some, but implementing them consistently on complex enterprise platforms requires strategic UX design systems and alignment across teams.
Why you should treat the Accessibility Act 2025 as a strategic priority
The Accessibility Act 2025 indeed introduces legal obligations, and yes, non-compliance can lead to fines, product withdrawal, or severe reputational harm.
But there’s a much bigger story here.
Accessible design tends to make software objectively better.
- Clearer language improves comprehension.
- Better contrast reduces user fatigue.
- Keyboard-friendly navigation leads to faster workflows.
- Screen-reader-compatible structures improve information architecture overall.
Accessible enterprise software does more than satisfy regulations. It supports productivity, reduces training time, and ultimately creates a smoother experience across large, diverse user groups.
In other words: accessibility is good business. And in 2025 and beyond, it will be a core differentiator in competitive digital markets.
Practical steps for UX accessibility requirements
Meeting UX accessibility requirements requires preparation. Enterprise software platforms are often large, complex systems with multiple modules, legacy components, and varied user roles. This makes planning ahead essential.
Here’s how to get started:
- Run a comprehensive accessibility audit
An audit reveals where your software currently stands compared to accessibility standards such as WCAG and the requirements of the Act. It’s the fastest way to identify specific gaps and prioritize improvements.
- Update your design system with accessibility at its core
Design systems that include accessible components (color palettes, form elements, grid systems, interaction patterns) make it much easier to scale a compliant design across multiple products and teams.
- Train everyone, not just designers
Accessibility is a collective responsibility. Developers need to understand ARIA labels. UX writers must learn how to structure content for clarity. Product teams must understand legal implications. The more alignment, the smoother the transformation.
- Involve users with disabilities in testing
Real feedback from real users reveals gaps that automated tests cannot detect. For enterprise software, this step is crucial, as workflows are often complex.
- Treat accessibility as an ongoing commitment, not a one-time project
Technology evolves, regulations evolve, and user expectations evolve too. The most successful enterprise teams embed accessibility into their long-term product strategy.
