Overview
EN ISO 21801-2:2022 - Cognitive accessibility, Part 2: Reporting specifies how to report the cognitive accessibility of systems and products. Adopted by CEN, this standard defines reporting requirements for assistive products, assistive technologies, consumer technologies and household appliances, following the recommendations of ISO 21801-1:2020. It standardizes the structure, content and methods for documenting conformance, context of use, test methods and user participation so organizations can produce consistent, transparent accessibility reports.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Reporting requirements and structure
- Define the context of use, intended users and environment.
- Use a consistent report structure for each cognitive accessibility recommendation.
- Conformance and evaluation
- Describe chosen conformance criteria, evaluation methods and evidence.
- Document test methods, metrics and decision rationale (see informative Annex B).
- Methods and approaches
- Guidance for selecting and implementing qualitative and quantitative assessment methods.
- Examples and templates for reproducible reporting (informative Annex A).
- Participation of users
- Requirements to include people with diverse cognitive abilities in evaluation and reporting.
- Content domains
- Detailed reporting topics across motivation & focus, representation & understanding, and action (planning, decision-making, expression, error recovery).
- Safety and trade-offs
- Report on risks where enhanced cognitive accessibility could affect safety or other system properties.
Practical applications
EN ISO 21801-2:2022 is a practical tool for producing clear, auditable accessibility documentation. Typical uses include:
- Preparing accessibility reports for product certification, procurement or regulatory compliance.
- Communicating design rationale and evaluation evidence for developers and UX teams.
- Guiding test labs and researchers in standardizing test plans, participant recruitment and result reporting.
- Supporting procurement officers to compare product accessibility through consistent documentation.
Who should use this standard
- Product designers and engineers (assistive and consumer technologies)
- Accessibility specialists, UX researchers and usability test teams
- Test laboratories, certification bodies and regulatory authorities
- Procurement teams and policy makers requiring standardized accessibility evidence
Related standards
Keywords: cognitive accessibility, EN ISO 21801-2:2022, accessibility reporting, assistive technologies, conformance evaluation, reporting template.