Explain to me in simple terms the European Accessibility Act and its impact for designers

What the European Accessibility Act (EAA) is (simple): - A EU law requiring many digital products and services to be accessible to people with disabilities across member states. - It covers things like websites, mobile apps, e‑commerce, ATMs, ticketing machines, e‑books and some hardware/software combinations. - The goal: remove barriers so people with disabilities can use digital services independently. Impact for designers (practical): - Accessibility must be part of the design process from the start, not an afterthought. Non‑compliant products can be legally restricted or face penalties in the EU. - Designers will work more closely with developers, content creators, and user researchers to meet accessibility requirements and to document compliance. - Emphasis on user testing with people who have disabilities to ensure real-world usability, not just checklist compliance. Short explanation of each required UI practice (what to do and why): 1. Clear structure - Use a logical layout, clear headings, and consistent navigation so users (including screen reader users) can understand and move through content easily. - Why: improves comprehension and orientation. 2. Keyboard operability - Ensure all interactive elements (menus, buttons, forms) can be reached and used with a keyboard alone (tab order, Enter/Space activation). - Why: essential for users who cannot use a mouse. 3. Readable text - Use plain language, short sentences, clear labels and descriptive link text. - Why: helps people with cognitive or reading disabilities and improves overall comprehension. 4. Sufficient contrast - Provide adequate color contrast between text and background (follow WCAG contrast ratios). - Why: critical for users with low vision or color deficiencies. 5. Scalable text - Allow text to be resized (e.g., 200% zoom) without loss of content or functionality; avoid fixed‑size/layouts that break when text is enlarged. - Why: lets users with low vision increase text size. 6. Captions / transcripts - Provide synchronized captions for video and transcripts for audio. - Why: necessary for deaf or hard‑of‑hearing users and useful for many others (noisy environments, searchability). 7. Focus indicators - Make keyboard focus visible (outline or clear highlight) and logical when navigating interactive elements. - Why: ensures keyboard users know where they are on the page. 8. Error identification and recovery - Clearly identify form errors, explain what went wrong in plain language, and provide suggestions or steps to fix them; preserve user input where possible. - Why: helps users successfully complete tasks, reducing frustration and abandonment. Relevant standard and guidance: - The EAA aligns with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1/2.2 for many digital items. Follow WCAG as a practical checklist and test baseline. (See W3C WCAG: https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/) - For legal specifics of the EAA, see European Commission: https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1202 Quick practical steps for designers: - Integrate accessibility requirements into briefs and design systems (accessible UI components). - Use semantic HTML, ARIA where needed, and maintain strong design tokens for contrast and spacing. - Run keyboard-only and screen-reader tests and include people with disabilities in usability testing. - Document accessibility decisions and testing evidence for compliance. If you want, I can produce a short checklist you can attach to your design system for quick reference.