TSE ISO/IEC TR 19765

TSE ISO/IEC TR 19765 is a technical report about the icons and symbols used in information technology products to improve access to functions and facilities for older users and persons with disabilities. It looks at how visual signs can support users whose abilities may vary, change over time, or be limited in certain contexts.

How icons and symbols support accessibility

In IT interfaces, icons and symbols provide a visual layer that can complement or sometimes reduce reliance on text-heavy menus and instructions. They help users recognize functions and assistive features more quickly, especially when the goal is to reach accessibility-related tools such as enlargement, audio support, visual adaptation, or other enabling functions. In general technical terms, a well-designed symbol set can improve discoverability and make product capabilities easier to identify across different platforms and interfaces.

What this technical report covers

• It surveys icons and symbols already in use.
• It focuses on functions and facilities that support elderly users and persons with disabilities.
• It is framed as a basis for possible future standardization of a recommended collection of icons and symbols.
• As a technical report, it should be understood as a survey and reference source rather than a claim of a mandatory symbol set.

From a broader accessibility perspective, consistency matters because users often move between devices, operating systems, and applications. Symbols need to be recognizable, distinct enough to avoid confusion, and meaningful to users with different abilities and backgrounds. That makes this subject part of both graphic communication and human-computer interaction, not only visual design.