The term neurodiversity describes the natural differences in how people think, behave, and process information. As this covers a wide spectrum of disabilities and conditions there’s a lot to consider when it comes to making your content digitally inclusive.
Across the world’s population, it’s estimated that 15-20% of people have some form of neurodiversity. This term encapsulates disabilities and conditions including:
- Dyslexia
- ADHD
- Autism
- Learning disabilities
- Tourette Syndrome
- Dyscalculia
- DCD/Dyspraxia
- Mental Health
Neurodiverse people are unique and have incredible strengths and talents. However, many online platforms aren’t created in a way that enables everyone to flourish. This goes for in the workplace, within the education system, and people accessing information and services when online. This blog highlights key areas that can remove barriers within content to create a more inclusive digital world.
Common barriers neurodivergent users encounter online
If platforms aren’t designed with accessibility in mind, often, neurodivergent individuals encounter obstacles which can make it difficult or sometimes even impossible to use a website.
Giving sensory overload
Nowadays, many websites use eye-catching features to prompt a user into buying the latest product or as a tool to entice them into finding out more information. However, many of these distracting site elements can do the opposite to many users and prompt them to navigate away from the platform. They aren’t only a nuisance, but they can actually cause harm for some people by bringing on a sense of panic.
Elements that you should avoid presenting, that may cause anxiety or distract users from being able to interact with your platform, are:
- Scrolling image carousels. Instead, give the user control and allow them to select if they want to view the items.
- Automatically playing media, such as videos and audio. These can be disorientating, especially if controls aren’t available to stop the feature.
- Moving elements on a page, such as on animations, background displays, or cursors. These can cause dizziness and fatigue.
- Pop-up adverts can be overwhelming and sometimes difficult to close.
- Using high contrasting colours or flashing features.
A lack of clarity
To enhance the user experience for neurodivergent site visitors, it’s of paramount importance to always give clear instructions and prompts.
Providing instructions can help to guide your users through how to complete an action, such as filling in a form. This will allow them to understand the process and any specific information of what they may need to present. This also goes for any error messaging. If something hasn’t been filled in correctly, explain why this is the case and what is needed to fix the issue.
Giving descriptive prompts, such as on navigation items, can assist in directing people through the site to successfully find relevant information. For example, on link text instead of writing ‘click here’, tell the user where they will be directed upon selecting the element.
Another useful feature that can give clarity about page content, is by adding summary boxes. These can be placed in a consistent location at the beginning of a web page to tell users exactly what they will find within that section. This can vastly enhance your navigation, along with saving time and avoiding frustration for your online audience.
Inconsistent layouts
To avoid confusion and enable users to easily flow through your website, having a clear and consistent layout is essential. This can help people who rely on predictable structures, such as autistic users, to understand where site elements are, like menus, search bars, and call to action blocks. This will empower users to swiftly navigate through your platform.
The general design of content should also be kept consistent, having the same look and feel site wide and using the same inclusive typography.
Poor readability
The way that you present your content is as important as how it’s written to enhance your site’s readability. This is an area that actually assists all of your users to digest content, but can drastically aid with accessibility for people such as your dyslexic users.
No one wants to be confronted with a large wall of text, it could actually make some people exit your site instantly. That’s why it’s important to provide a clear and uncluttered layout, using:
- Heading structures
- Concise bite-sized sections of content
- Bulleted lists
- Short sentence and paragraph lengths
- Left-aligned text, in a sans serif font
- A list of contents on text-heavy pages to allow users to skip to relevant information
Optional website features, such as offering the choice of using dark mode, can also aid with a site’s readability. This, along with, writing your content in plain language, avoiding jargon and idioms, so it’s easy to understand.
Strict time constraints
Some users, such as people with learning disabilities, may need to take a little extra time when reading content or completing an action on a website. If elements, such as page timeouts are added, this can cause unnecessary stress and anxiety. This could result in some users being left unable to finish inputting information within the time limit. Give users the flexibility they require to finish a task by removing time limits or at least extending them.
A lack of alternative formats
Everyone processes information in different ways. To aid users in understanding your content, consider presenting content in different formats. Alongside your text, you could include a short and concise explainer video, audio, or a diagram.
You could also integrate easy read features, which breaks content down into pictures and symbols to help users to easily consume information. Find out more about this option in the below video:
Incompatible sites with assistive technologies
There’s a wide range of assistive technology devices and software that can help people with disabilities to access the web. Common types of assistive tech that are utilised by neurodiverse individuals include items such as screen readers, speech-to-text software, and screen magnifiers, which can bridge the gap with accessibility. However sadly, only 3% of digital platforms are deemed accessible, often preventing these incredibly useful, game-changing tools from being able to interact with a site.
To remove these barriers we urge:
- Developers to always perform manual user testing with a range of devices.
- Organisations to check their websites are accessible by undertaking an accessibility audit.
To get you started, we offer a free usability test which assesses how assistive technologies interact with your platform. Not only that, but we’ll show you first-hand the outcome with a live demonstration to give you a deeper understanding about the impact this experience gives to your users.
Accessible design benefits all users
Implementing these changes to your content doesn’t only assist users who are neurodivergent, it enhances the user experience for everyone. Inclusive content ensures your website will be easy to see, read, navigate and digest – who wouldn’t want that?
If you need assistance in actioning these amendments, we’ve got a range of services which can help. From inclusive training for in-house teams, audit testing to see where you can enhance your site’s usability, to accessibility consultancy and web development work; we’ve got you covered.