Ensuring Your Venue’s Indoor Navigation Solution is Compliant with the EAA

Table of Contents

Introduction #

From June 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) will require all new or updated indoor navigation solutions to meet strict accessibility standards. Compliance means providing genuinely equal access – “on an equal basis with others” – rather than offering substitute services. This ensures that users with disabilities enjoy the same quality and independence as those without. It’s about much more than ticking boxes; it’s about empowering every visitor to navigate your venue confidently and independently.

Assess indoor wayfinding solutions not just on their claims, but on how they deliver each EAA mandate in practice. Use the following checklist of essential requirements, which prospective suppliers must answer with a clear YES. A single NO indicates non-compliance.

The EAA Compliance Checklist for Indoor Navigation Solutions #

  1. Accurate, Multi-Modal Directions: Does the solution provide audio navigation instructions accurate within one meter or less, and support multiple output formats (haptics, text, audio, braille, visual maps) for different needs?
    • Example: An EAA-compliant system guides users via spoken directions, tactile feedback, visual overlays, and braille displays, so each user can access the method that works best for them.
    • Standard: EN 301549 + EN 17210:2021 + EN 17161
  2. Real-Time, Dynamic Navigation: Does the system offer real-time, turn-by-turn navigation that automatically updates as the user moves?
    • Example: As users move through the venue, the app should update directions in real time (e.g., “continue for 10 meters”), ensuring that everyone receives timely, accurate information – regardless of disability.
    • Standard: EN 301549 + EN 17210:2021
  3. Affirmative Location Confirmation: Does the solution confirm in real time when users have arrived at their destination, using verbal, tonal, and/or haptic feedback?
    • Example: The system should provide a voice message (“Arrived!”), a sound, or a vibration, ensuring arrival is equally clear for all users.
    • Standard: EN 301549 + EN 17210:2021
  4. Immediate Alerts & Corrections: Does the solution deliver corrective feedback if users veer off course or approach hazards, with clear prompts and directions to return to the path?
    • Example: The device might vibrate and instruct “Turn around and go left,” helping users avoid mistakes or unsafe areas.
    • Standard: EN 301549 + EN 17210:2021
  5. Navigation Without Visual Markers: Can users access full navigation features without needing to scan QR codes or other visually dependent markers?
    • Why it matters: Solutions that depend on visual anchors exclude blind or low-vision users from independent access.
    • Standard: EN 301549 + EN 17210:2021
  6. Independence from Supplementary Solutions: Is the system fully usable on its own, without requiring additional apps (such as visual interpreting services) to provide an experience equivalent to that of sighted users?
    • Why it matters: EAA-compliance requires full, independent access, not just “workarounds” or reliance on third-party aids.
    • Standard: EN 301549 + EN 17161
  7. Precise Localization & Route Guidance: Does the solution always know the user’s position and provide detailed, step-by-step instructions – not just generic direction (“go to the elevator”), but clear steps from the user’s location?
    • Why it matters: Instructions must be perceivable, operable, and unambiguous, supporting independent use for those with disabilities.
    • Standard: EN 301549 + EN 17210:2021
  8. Full Screen Reader Compatibility: Are all interface elements and navigation features accessible via screen readers, so blind users have barrier-free control and information?
    • Why it matters: Full compatibility with screen readers like VoiceOver is essential for inclusive interaction.
    • Standard: EN 301549 + Web Accessibility Directive (WAD)

Why These Questions Matter #

Many providers highlight accessibility “features,” yet true EAA compliance is about delivering thorough, equal access in practice, not just in theory. Substitute solutions, reliance on staff help, or external apps fall short of the EAA’s requirement for a truly equal user experience.

EAA compliance means:

  • All users, regardless of disability, receive equal routes, updates, and safety information.
  • The system functions independently, without needing external aids.
  • Multiple accessible formats are provided as standard, not as optional add-ons.

How GoodMaps Meets Each EAA Checklist Requirement #

GoodMaps answers YES to every point above, and does so in ways that directly address the core intent of each requirement:

  1. Accurate, Multi-Modal Directions: GoodMaps delivers audio navigation accurate to within one meter (less than three feet) using LiDAR and 360-degree imagery for precise positioning. Directions are provided via spoken instructions, visual maps, haptic feedback, tonal signals, and (where supported) braille display – ensuring each user can access navigation in their preferred way.
  2. Real-Time, Dynamic Navigation: GoodMaps provides true real-time, turn-by-turn guidance. As users move, routes dynamically update across all interfaces – audio, visual, haptic – so information is always current and contextually aligned, regardless of the user’s abilities.
  3. Affirmative Location Confirmation: Users receive instant confirmation upon reaching their destination, via verbal alerts (“Arrived!”), tones, and vibrations. This real-time feedback in multiple modalities ensures that all users – blind, deaf, or sighted – receive clear confirmation without extra effort.
  4. Immediate Alerts & Corrections: GoodMaps detects when users veer off the intended route or approach hazards and immediately provides corrective instructions. Both haptic and auditory prompts guide users safely back, addressing EAA requirements for real-time obstacle management and emergency information.
  5. Navigation Without Visual Markers: GoodMaps does not require scanning QR codes or visual anchors for location. Instead, its camera and LiDAR-based localization allows users – including those who are blind or have low vision – to access the full navigation experience independently and by design.
  6. Independence from Supplementary Solutions: GoodMaps is a fully self-contained solution. All navigation and feedback features operate within the main app – there is no need for external apps or staff intervention for a user to experience full and equal access.
  7. Precise Localization & Route Guidance: The system always knows the user’s exact location, and provides granular, turn-by-turn directions from any starting point. Instructions are unambiguous – never generic – eliminating confusion and enabling independent travel for users with visual or cognitive disabilities.
  8. Full Screen Reader Compatibility: All features and interface components are fully compatible with common screen readers (e.g., VoiceOver, TalkBack, etc.). Blind users can navigate, operate, and interact with every function of the app without barriers, fulfilling the EAA’s criteria for accessible ICT.

What to Do Now #

When selecting an indoor wayfinding solution for your venue:

  • Use this 8-point checklist when evaluating vendors.
  • Require clear, evidence-based YES answers to every requirement.
  • If any item is not fully met, the solution does not comply with the EAA and should not be selected.

EAA compliance is about real inclusion – ensuring every visitor can navigate your venue with independence, dignity, and safety.

Updated on August 7, 2025