Digital Accessibility and the European Accessibility Act: in conversation with bol

In 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) will come into force. This means that a large number of service providers must be digitally accessible. Many companies, large and small, are struggling to implement digital accessibility. The upcoming EAA puts additional pressure on organisations to make their websites and digital platforms accessible. How does one of the Netherlands' largest online shops deal with digital accessibility? Joris talked to Niels-Peter from sphere.

Introduction

Niels-Peter is Lead Product Design at sphere and recently attended the WCAG specialist course at Cardan. Through this course, he wanted to better understand success criteria, learn new testing methods and gain the necessary knowledge to conduct independent research. Niels-Peter now applies this knowledge at bol.

"Digital accessibility is the right thing to do from a moral and ethical point of view. From my expertise as Lead Product Design, I also believe that accessible design is better design."

Niels-Peter, Lead Product Design at sphere

Creating awareness

Niels Peter shares that his interest in digital accessibility began in 2018/2019, during the redesign of the check-out at bol. The project team he was in at the time aimed to make the checkout as accessible as possible. This led to delving further into the subject and attending training courses.

"Start first by raising awareness within your organisation. Without awareness, you are ultimately not going to get there. People need to experience it as far as possible and really start feeling it. After all, it is all about people. "

Niels-Peter

Accessibility within sphere.

At sphere, much attention is paid to making design system components accessible. It is essential that design and development work closely together to ensure that accessible components are implemented correctly. This emphasises the importance of good collaboration and communication within teams.

Bol organises various initiatives to raise awareness, such as sessions during Global Accessibility Awareness Day and specific trainings within the Design Craft. In addition, we from Cardan were also allowed to visit twice with our experience square, in order to make employees even more aware of digital accessibility.

User research

User research plays a crucial role in improving digital accessibility and raising awareness. Niels-Peter shares examples of surveys with visually impaired users and people with dyslexia, which provide new insights and engage colleagues in the process. He invites his colleagues to participate in these surveys so that they can experience firsthand the challenges.

"When someone has to struggle like that to complete a simple task, it does come in."

Niels-Peter

Tips for other organisations

Niels-Peter recommends starting with small, achievable improvements and integrating them into planned optimisations, rather than aiming for a big, all-encompassing solution. This approach helps to progress step by step and lower the threshold for improvement.

Future plans and European Accessibility Act

Bol is preparing for the European Accessibility Act by raising awareness, organising training sessions and setting up a working group focusing on accessibility initiatives. Audits are being carried out to map the current situation and define concrete follow-up steps. Niels-Peter is proud of the progress sphere has made and continues to study digital accessibility.

"Actually since I started working with digital accessibility I also just look at the world around me differently. Why are things actually the way they are?"

Niels-Peter

Want to know more about how we can support your organisation with digital accessibility?

Digital accessibility is an ongoing process that requires awareness, training and collaboration. By starting small and improving incrementally, organisations, large and small, can contribute to a more inclusive digital world.

At Cardan, my colleagues and I are ready to examine your digital product against WCAG 2.2 guidelines. Just as we helped sphere, we can also support your team in creating an inclusive digital experience.

Schedule an introductory meeting