Emergn enhances Infinity Design System to lead on digital accessibility

European Accessibility Act means the stakes for ignoring digital accessibility have never been higher; Emergn design system can help companies avoid fines of millions of Euros for non-compliance.

LONDON – February 23, 2024 – Emergn, the world’s most trusted and respected leader in digital business services, announces significant updates to its groundbreaking Infinity Design System, helping disabled people as they face significant barriers in accessing digital platforms. These barriers impact their ability to gain employment, access essential healthcare services, and participate in everyday online activities. As governments worldwide tighten digital accessibility standards – including the forthcoming European Accessibility Act – the stakes of non-compliance have never been higher, making Emergn’s forward-compatible solution more relevant than ever.

A turning point for digital inclusivity

Even though the European Accessibility Act (EAA), taking effect in June 2025, signals a major movement towards equal access for disabled people in the digital space, it’s flying under the radar. Emergn recognizes the urgent need for digital products to cater to the diverse needs of all users, including the 1.3 billion disabled people globally. For many of these individuals, the inaccessibility of company websites means being unable to apply for jobs, book travel, or order essential prescriptions online – this exacerbates the challenges faced by a population already twice as likely to be unemployed and facing higher costs of living.

The Infinity Design System is a forward-thinking solution to this challenge, offering a comprehensive suite of design and code components that facilitate the development of accessible digital products. Infinity aligns with the international Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 and is forward-compatible with the upcoming WCAG 3.0 standard. Along with components, it includes detailed documentation on building for accessibility, covering topics like color, structuring content and imagery, layout, and typography, as well as guidance on utilizing accessibility features like keyboard navigation, touch targets, aria labels, and more.

Innovation meeting accessibility

Infinity is not merely a compliance tool; it is a robust system crafted to accelerate the development of bespoke design systems for enterprises. Organizations can leverage this system to swiftly adapt their digital products to accessibility standards, create visual consistency, improve collaboration, and increase efficiency in product development teams.

Around 67% of accessibility issues originate in the design phase, and Infinity addresses this by capturing design decisions in code variables known as design tokens. Design tokens specify how a brand’s visual identity should be applied to user interfaces. These tokens govern the style of components, and modifications are reflected throughout the design system, wherever the token is being used.

Because the structure of Infinity’s tokens adheres to international WCAG standards, customizing the system for an organization’s brand guarantees that their identity will be accessible.

Additionally, Infinity components utilize HTML tags that enable assistive technologies to facilitate users’ interaction with content.

The Infinity Design System’s proactive approach to accessibility is essential at a time where businesses need to rapidly comply with accessibility standards.

Fines for non-compliance

The stakes for ignoring digital accessibility have never been higher. While the EAA itself doesn’t set fines, member states wield the power to enforce heavy penalties for non-compliance, with fines in countries like Spain reaching EUR 1,000,000. Drawing from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the United States, a surge in lawsuits for non-compliance paints a cautionary tale. Lawsuits have more than doubled since 2018, signaling a potential tide of legal challenges in the European Economic Area. This dramatic increase in ADA-related litigation serves as a forewarning: companies must prioritize digital accessibility and future-proof their businesses or face severe financial repercussions.

With the regulatory landscape shifting rapidly, our Infinity Design System is a crucial tool for businesses aiming to stay ahead. Accessibility should be a primary concern in digital design, akin to any other key business strategy. Consider this: 16% of the global population lives with a disability, and inaccessible design can hinder their interaction with digital platforms. That’s not just a statistic – it’s a community, and it’s likely everyone knows somebody within it. When this audience is overlooked, it’s not just business failing a group of individuals; it’s neglecting a fundamental aspect of inclusive and responsible business practice.

The sharp rise in ADA-related lawsuits in the U.S. is a stark reminder of the financial and reputational risks associated with falling behind in digital accessibility standards.”

Alex Adamopoulos, Emergn CEO

Kristina Barrick, Head of Business Influencing at disability equality charity Scope, said:

Our lives are increasingly lived online, but inaccessible websites can shut disabled people out, whether that’s for shopping, work, finding information or booking medical appointments. Scope wants to see a world where disabled people have equal access to products and services and the world of work. Digital accessibility is at the heart of that, and any tools which help are a step in the right direction. We all have a responsibility to break down online barriers and build a more accessible world.

Kristina Barrick, Head of Business Influencing at Scope

For more information on the Infinity Design System, visit the dedicated pages on the Emergn website.

About Emergn

Emergn is a global digital business services firm with a mission to improve the way people and companies work. Forever. With an ‘Ideas to Impact’ philosophy, Emergn helps some of the world’s most respected businesses – including Fortune 500, FTSE 100, and Global 2000 companies – develop their most promising ideas into valuable digital products and customer experiences, faster.

Emergn’s experts work with clients to transform their business in three ways:

  • Helping to better define their thinking, including shaping their product organization and clarifying and communicating their product strategy.
  • Developing their people by delivering exemplary training in product management, modern ways of working, and leadership.
  • Delivering their outcomes by building customer-centric products and customer experiences.

Emergn has invested nearly fifteen years perfecting a game-changing philosophy for the world of work to transform businesses – Value, Flow, Quality (or VFQ for short) – combining the best of Agile, Lean, design thinking, systems thinking, economics, psychology, and sociology. Its unique approach has been built to support enterprise-scale change and consists of the latest models, techniques, and tools for delivering work in an agile and effective way. Emergn has a strong presence in over a dozen countries, with its US headquarters in Boston and EMEA headquarters in London.

Learn more about Emergn from its website and follow Emergn on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).

Media contact:

Dentons Global Advisors
James Melville-Ross, Adam Davidson, Nishad Sanzagiri: +44 7895 187727 [email protected]