How to Make Your Design Neuro-Inclusive?

If user experiences alienate a portion of your target user group, is it really user-centric? This question has got UX designers thinking about the role of inclusivity in design. Inclusivity isn’t just limited to gender and ethnic groups; it also includes those whose neural pathways fire differently from the norm. Ensuring that design experiences are usable by all is the end goal of UX designers.?

Our focus as UX designers is always on creating intuitive, efficient, and engaging product experiences. To do so, we need to account for diverse expectations and limitations.?

Designing for neurodiversity

Neurodiversity, a word coined by Australian sociologist Judy Singer, refers to the need to acknowledge that our brains can work in non-typical ways. People with medical conditions like autism, dyslexia, Down’s syndrome, OCD, and more are a minority and are therefore overlooked by researchers during the design process.

Designing for neurodiversity is not merely a trend; it's a fundamental shift in our approach to the user experience. It's about acknowledging the diverse range of cognitive abilities and designing with empathy and inclusivity in mind.?

The essential checklist for designing for neurodiversity

1. Anticipate, empathise, and understand?

Include neurodiverse people in the research audience. Just like you would include women and ethnic minorities for varied perspectives, adding neurodiverse people to the group will help you gather perspectives that will guide your design process. Understand their needs, preferences, and challenges for a more user-centric product experience.?

For example, people with dyslexia find it hard to read certain fonts. They prefer to use websites and apps that have a dyslexic-friendly font, like OpenDyslexia, to improve readability. Take the case of the Amazon Kindle, which allows users to select OpenDyslexic as a font option, making e-books more accessible and readable for individuals with dyslexia.

2. Make your design simple

Easy navigation and intuitive design are the best ways to go. Keep all design elements and text elements on a product simple. Uncomplicated user flows are easy to understand and remember for neurodiverse audiences. When the text is clear, informative, and descriptive, people grasp what they have to do better.?

For example, users with autism prefer a clutter-free interface with straightforward navigation. This simplifies the UI and makes the design experience more inclusive. Take the case of Google’s Gboard keyboard app. It offers predictive text and autocomplete suggestions, making typing easier and more efficient for users with neurodiverse conditions.

3. Let the user customise

Users love customising experiences. Think about the wallpaper on your desktop or mobile; each user has their own preference for wallpaper design. Similarly, giving users the option to customise font sizes, colours, contrasts, and more allows them to choose their best user experience.?

For example, users with visual impairments feel included when websites and apps allow for high-contrast modes or screen reader compatibility. Take the case of Microsoft Office Suite, which provides high-contrast themes and colour customisation options for users to adjust the settings to their visual needs.?

4. Show them what to expect?

Consistency across design and text elements is a design must-have. This helps establish a pattern for users to predict what to do next. This is equally important for neurotypical and neurodiverse users. By building consistency, the designer boosts understanding and recollection, enabling users to better understand the interface.?

For example, users with ADHD can find it easier to navigate an app that offers a consistent layout and minimal distractions. The heart icon for likes and bookmark icon are always placed on the left and right of an image respectively. This ensures consistency and the user can anticipate how they would like to react to a post on Instagram.

5. Provide resources for additional information

Guides, resources, toolkits, and tutorials can help neurodiverse users better use your app or website. Sometimes navigation can be tricky. To help all users get onboarded, these additional resources will help.?

For example, a new user on Flipboard is guided where to search for news articles, where to save, and how to navigate the app when signing up.?

6. Test your results?

Testing your assumptions and design at every stage is important. Conducting user tests ensures that your design experience is usable by a diverse audience. By including neurodivergent people at the testing stage, you gain valuable insights and feedback that you would have otherwise missed.?

For example, collaborating with neurodiverse focus groups during the research and testing stages can help you refine and optimise your design solutions.

What not to do when designing for neurodiversity?

1. Avoid flashy design

Bold jarring colours, complicated and over-detailed icons, flashing, or rapidly changing visuals can be distressing for neurodiverse people.?

For example, flashing ads on a news website can be distracting from the main article itself.?

2. Give cryptic instructions??

Ambiguous language confuses users and prevents them from proceeding to the next step. This can increase your drop rate.?

For example, step-by-step instructions can guide users to complete a task, whereas long and jargon-filled instructions lead to users losing interest.?

3. Create usability roadblocks

Cluttered UIs with unnecessary complications can create hurdles that users don’t want to cross. Design should be instinctive, not deliberate.

For example, a clutter-free, streamlined interface can make the user experience enjoyable for all.

4. Don’t remove flexibility?

If users were given the option to choose their settings, they would do so in a heartbeat. But setting restrictions on users with fixed settings without offering customisation is a big no-no.?

For example, dark mode in apps provides users with the choice of how they want to use their app.?

5. Say no to stereotypes

You can’t solve a usability problem without understanding it first. Assumptions without solid premises do not result in good solutions.?

For example, a ride-sharing app can be offensive if they use the wrong label to categorise those with neurodiverse conditions.?

Making design more diverse, starts with you

Neuro-inclusivity is the way forward for UX designers. By taking into account the needs of all your users, you are creating a more gratifying user experience. Neurodiversity isn’t a fad or trend; it’s the future. By learning the unique needs of neurodiverse users and carrying out inclusive design practices, we can create more accessible and user-friendly designs.

Before you go, what common assumptions do you think make designs less inclusive? Let us know in the comments.