Digital Accessibility – a Legal Obligation, a Strategic Opportunity and Part of Modern Brand Management.

From 2025, the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (German Accessibility Strengthening Act) obliges many companies to provide digital accessibility. But beyond legal requirements, it is also becoming an economically and socially relevant aspect of brand strategy.

From 28 June 2025, digital accessibility becomes a legal obligation for numerous companies. With the entry into force of the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG), providers of digital products and services in certain sectors are required to design their offerings so that they are fully accessible to people with disabilities as well. The new regulation affects in particular providers of e-commerce platforms, digital communication services and self-service terminals.

But the significance of digital accessibility goes beyond what is legally necessary. It is gaining strategic relevance – as an economic success factor, as a quality feature in design and as an expression of social responsibility. In a digitally connected world in which companies interact with customers, employees and partners via a wide variety of touchpoints, accessibility is becoming a decisive criterion of future-proof brand management.

Digital accessibility ensures that all people – regardless of physical, sensory or cognitive impairments – can use digital content and applications independently. This is not only about accessibility for people with permanent disabilities, but also about age-related or temporary impairments and different usage contexts – such as weak internet connections, mobile devices or limited technical equipment.

For a website or digital product to be considered accessible, numerous criteria must be met. Content must be clearly structured, easy to read and logically organised. Navigation elements and forms must be intuitive to operate and accessible by keyboard or screen reader. PDF documents must be machine-readable, correctly tagged and sensibly structured. Visual content such as images should also be supplemented by alternative texts. Videos need subtitles or audio descriptions so that they can also be used by people with hearing or visual impairments. Last but not least, colours, contrasts and font sizes must be designed so that information is easy to grasp for all user groups.

The foundation for the accessible design of digital content is provided by international standards such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as well as national regulations such as the BITV (Barrierefreie-Informationstechnik-Verordnung, the German accessible information technology ordinance) and the PDF/UA standard for accessible PDF documents.

With the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz, Germany transposes the EU directive on the European Accessibility Act into national law. It obliges companies to make their digital products and services accessible by 28 June 2025 at the latest – provided they operate in certain areas of application. These include:

• E-commerce offerings (e.g. online shops)
• Digital services such as banking apps or booking systems
• Electronic communication services
• Self-service terminals (e.g. ticket machines, check-in devices)
• Digital user interfaces on hardware (e.g. payment terminals)

Microenterprises with fewer than ten employees and an annual turnover of less than two million euros are exempt. Nevertheless, smaller providers should also monitor developments closely – both with regard to future extensions of the regulation and their strategic opportunities.

Even for companies that are not currently directly affected by the law, digital accessibility can be an economically sensible step. It opens up access to new target groups, improves the user experience for everyone and shows that the company takes on social responsibility.

In e-commerce in particular, accessibility can increase the conversion rate, as low-barrier shop systems are quicker to understand and easier to use. In recruiting, an accessible careers page can appeal to applicants who would otherwise be left out by non-accessible offerings. In customer service, self-service portals or digital contracts too, companies benefit from low-barrier interfaces – through less support effort and higher customer satisfaction.

Moreover, accessibility has long since become an image factor. It signals inclusion, care and a forward-looking outlook – core values of modern brand management. Companies that integrate digital accessibility early and strategically strengthen their position in the market and send a clear signal in terms of sustainability, ESG and corporate responsibility.

Digital accessibility is closely linked to user experience (UX) and user interface design (UI). An accessible application is more intuitive to use, more efficient and excludes no one – which benefits the overall quality of the digital offering. For design, too, accessibility is not an obstacle but a design principle: clear hierarchies, understandable interactions and visual accessibility make interfaces not only more inclusive but also more attractive.

Furthermore, accessibility is a building block of branding. It shapes the impression a brand leaves across all digital touchpoints – whether on the website, in the application process, on customer portals or in corporate communication. Brands that design consciously in this area send a strong signal: we think of everyone.

Implementation ideally begins with a stocktake. Companies should check which digital channels are in use, which target groups they address and where there are potential barriers. Technical audits combined with UX analyses help to assess the quality of existing websites, applications or documents. From this, concrete measures can be derived – prioritised by effort, relevance and benefit.