Overview
ISO/IEC 29138-1:2018 - User accessibility needs defines a structured collection of user accessibility needs for information and communication technology (ICT) systems. Rather than prescribing technical requirements or test methods, this ISO/IEC standard catalogues the diverse accessibility goals and detailed user needs (with identifiers, descriptions, instances and examples) to inform designers, developers, procurers and accessibility specialists. It is intended to guide inclusive design and the specification of system-level accessibility requirements, not to serve as a certification or regulatory checklist.
Key topics and structure
The standard organizes accessibility needs around high‑level accessibility goals and then provides detailed entries for each need. Important technical topics covered include:
- Organization of needs - grouping by accessibility goals and providing heuristics to apply the set.
- Need descriptors - unique need identifiers, descriptions, instances, examples and short forms for practical use.
- Applying needs - guidance on identifying system- and context-specific needs, developing system requirements, and informing evaluation activities (without supplying formal evaluation methods).
- Major accessibility domains - detailed needs related to:
- Suitability for the widest range of users
- Conformity with user expectations
- Support for individualization (personalization and profiles)
- Approachability (physical and psychological access)
- Perceivability (visual, auditory, tactile modalities; multimodal presentation)
- Understandability (cognitive and linguistic support, navigation, content clarity)
- Examples and instances - practical illustrations to show how a need might present in real contexts.
Practical applications
ISO/IEC 29138-1 is valuable for:
- Writing accessibility-aware requirements and design briefs for software, web and mobile apps.
- Informing inclusive UX design and interaction design decisions (choosing modalities, default behaviors, personalization).
- Guiding procurement teams to specify accessibility considerations beyond minimum legal obligations.
- Structuring user research and accessibility testing by mapping participants’ needs to design features.
- Helping standards developers and policy makers to derive technical requirements from user-centered needs.
Note: the document is explicitly not intended for certification or as a regulatory instrument; it is an informative resource to help stakeholders go beyond baseline accessibility legislation.
Related standards and guidance
ISO/IEC 29138-1 complements other accessibility and usability guidance (such as WCAG and ISO usability standards) by focusing on the user needs foundation. It is part of the broader ISO/IEC 29138 series and should be used alongside implementation-focused standards and technical specifications when developing accessibility requirements and test methods.
Keywords: ISO/IEC 29138-1, user accessibility needs, user interface accessibility, ICT accessibility, accessibility standards, inclusive design, accessibility requirements.