Think Differently: making websites accessible for neurodivergent users.

“Cognitive impairments can be permanent, temporary, situational or a combination. They can also be temporary for people who are generally considered to be neurotypical – for example, fatigue, stress or even a bereavement can happen to anyone at any time. Accessibility is really for everybody.”  - Craig Abbott, Head of Accessibility, DWP Digital

People diagnosed with neurological or neurodiverse health conditions can be affected by numerous factors on websites that other users won’t necessarily note. This includes, but is not limited to: 

• Becoming easily distracted 
• Struggling with working memory 
• Gaining anxiety from rapid decision-making 
• Following instructions for complex challenges 
• Misunderstanding large complex pieces of information and text
• Misunderstanding of acronyms or taking them literally
• Loud or over sensory images/noises such as flashing images and lights. 

How are websites getting it wrong?

There are numerous things that business owners can forget about when it comes to accessibility, and Wind & Kite have been advocating against the Web being Ableist for a long time now, but when it comes to people with neurodiversity, there are some specific issues that can really affect them. 

Having moving elements on a page, or scrolling carousels can cause distraction or anxiety to users. It is possible to keep these elements on a page but to assist these users by enabling them to control the elements by adding a pause button or removing auto-playing videos.   

As mentioned in our guide on Accessibility in the Checkout, for users with visual impairments, there can be issues for users with disabilities attempting to purchase items through an e-commerce website, and quite often the end stage of this journey is overlooked by sites trying to provide accessibility to their users. For these form pages, such as when a user is completing checkout, it is important that these pages remain clear and fuss-free for people with neurodiversities, and that any prompts for the user are clear with correct punctuation and instructions.

In the same way that visually impaired users using screen readers have issues with checkouts that use a countdown clock to complete checkout within a certain time frame, users who have neurological conditions may also struggle with this function. Users don’t want to feel rushed to make a purchase, but for users with neurological conditions such as ADHD, this can induce stress, and have a negative impact on users. 

No one likes to be told off, and this is especially true for some neurodiversities. When input is required in a particular format, such as a phone number needing to be a minimum length, it is always better to explain the requirements before input and allow people to succeed, than simply show an error when the format is not correct.

“If a potential customer cannot navigate your online store’s shopping cart or checkout process, it makes little difference what kind of accessibility the rest of your site incorporates.”
- Joseph Dolson, Practical E-commerce 

Wind & Kite’s Top 6 Tips 

1. Allow users to be in control of audio
   ‍Allow users to pause or stop any audio that automatically plays for longer than three seconds. No one wants a website to be screaming thrash metal music at them.  

2. Allow users to be in control of timings 
   ‍Allow users to turn off time limitations on forms or tasks, or create functionality to extend any time restraints. Especially for checkouts, where the additional stress of a purchase can be overwhelming.

3. Reduce or remove blinking and flashing images
   ‍Blinking advertisements, scrolling news updates, and gifs can be very distracting for people with neurodiversity. And generally annoying.

4. Don’t have any surprises 
   ‍Match the real world. Make buttons “pushable” and don’t have any unexpected pop-ups. 

5. Keep the layout consistent
   ‍Don’t mess around with the layout of key components on the site. Set a standard and stick with it everywhere. if the burger menu has been in the top left corner on every page, don’t just move it to the right on a random page. This helps users with ADHD and Autism, by keeping things consistent and routine, we can reduce stress and unnecessary challenges. 

6. Have clear labels and identification
   ‍Label as much as you can, but make it clear and consistent - with no acronyms or buzzwords. For example, Don’t just put ‘MOB’ if you want a mobile phone number. Make space in your site for clarity.

“As varied and unique as our personalities, faces, and ways of communicating are, so also are our brains. Society needs the skills, insights, and creativity of neurodivergent people everywhere, and they require accessible digital assets that support their full participation…. The end result of these efforts on the part of developers, designers, and content authors will be digital assets that are more usable and accessible to all. “
- WCAG