Designing for Neurodivergence-16 UX Principles to Truly Include Neurodivergent Users
A UX Guide for ADHD and Autism
Neurodivergent users — particularly those with ADHD (PHDA) and Autism Spectrum Disorders (PEA) — experience the web in ways that differ significantly from the average user. Standard accessibility guidelines, including WCAG 2.1, address many visual, motor, and sensory challenges, but often fall short on cognitive inclusion.
This article integrates UX principles, WCAG references, and data from direct user input to outline 16 key design guidelines. These guidelines aim to help designers and product teams create digital experiences that are clearer, calmer, and more flexible for neurodivergent minds.
UX and Neurodivergence
Neurodivergence refers to natural variations in how people think, learn, and process information.
Users with ADHD may struggle with attention regulation, impulsivity, hyperfocus, or working memory lapses.
Those with autism often experience sensory sensitivities, require high levels of predictability, and can experience cognitive overload from ambiguity, lack of structure, or sensory excess.
While WCAG 2.1 is a critical reference for accessible design, it was primarily built around motor, visual, and auditory impairments. Cognitive accessibility, particularly for conditions like ADHD and Autism, often receives secondary attention.
As a result, even “WCAG-compliant” interfaces may remain confusing, overwhelming, or anxiety-provoking for neurodivergent users.
Beyond compliance, inclusive UX for neurodivergent users demands a shift: from designing only for task completion to designing for emotional comfort, mental energy conservation, and autonomy.
Recent studies, including the comprehensive research by the National Autistic Society and Hassell Inclusion (2019), have underscored that digital experiences must consider predictability, sensory control, task segmentation, and language clarity if they are to truly serve a neurodivergent audience.
Methodology and Research Inputs
This article is grounded in three sources:
- Survey data from adults with PHDA and/or caregivers of children with PHDA/PEA, capturing frustration points and helpful patterns in digital use.
- UX best practices are based on design principles such as progressive disclosure, user control, and content clarity.
- Autism Accessibility Guidelines (Hassell Inclusion, 2019), which surfaced both shared and individual needs of autistic web users through diary studies, surveys, and focus groups.
This multi-source approach ensures that the guidelines proposed are not only academically grounded but also validated by real-world lived experiences.
Core Insights from Survey and Literature
Survey participants described difficulties such as overstimulation from advertising, navigation overload, poorly structured forms, unclear error handling, and unexpected page behavior.
Positive digital experiences, in contrast, often shared these traits:
- Interfaces that are simple, predictable, and visually calm
- Step-by-step flows and clear visual progress indicators
- Options for personalization (text size, contrast, motion control)
- Availability of help through multiple channels
From these patterns, we distilled the most critical gaps that design can help bridge.
16 Detailed Guidelines for Designing for Neurodivergence
Each guideline includes a rationale, example actions, and WCAG reference where applicable.
1. Reduce Visual and Cognitive Overload
Why: Too many elements compete for attention, leading to overwhelm.
How: Simplify layouts, limit stimulation, prioritize clear hierarchy.
, (partial support)
2. Ensure Predictability and Consistency
Why: Unexpected changes cause anxiety and disorientation.
How: Maintain stable navigation and structure, announce updates.
3. Give Users Control Over Motion and Sound
Why: Sensory overload from auto-play disrupts focus.
How: Allow users to pause, stop, or mute motion and audio.
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4. Break Complex Tasks into Small Steps
Why: Executive function challenges make large tasks harder to manage.
How: Use progress indicators, micro-flows, and immediate feedback.
5. Customisable Display Options
Why: Sensory and cognitive needs vary greatly.
How: Offer options to adjust fonts, colours, contrast, and motion effects.
(partial)
6. Use Clear Language and Explicit Labels
Why: Metaphors, idioms, and vagueness increase confusion.
How: Write direct instructions and plain language labels.
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7. Avoid Repetition and Redundant Inputs
Why: Repetitive forms increase frustration and cognitive load.
How: Use smart defaults, auto-complete, and prefilled fields.
8. Support Focus with Layout and Contrast
Why: Clear visual hierarchy supports better scanning and focus.
How: Use strong contrast, proper spacing, and sectioning.
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9. Provide Information in Multiple Formats
Why: Cognitive preferences differ: some prefer video, others text.
How: Offer captions, transcripts, and text alternatives for multimedia.
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10. Build Re-learnability into UX
Why: Unexpected redesigns can disorient frequent users.
How: Provide changelogs, onboarding for updates, and previews of changes.
Indirectly supports
11. Include Neurodivergent Users in Testing
Why: Real experiences reveal gaps that compliance checks miss.
How: Recruit ADHD and autistic users early and often for usability tests.
Not explicitly in WCAG
12. Offer Help in Multiple Channels
Why: Phone anxiety is common among neurodivergent users.
How: Provide support via live chat, email, detailed FAQs, and clear documentation.
Partial support
13. Provide Clear Start and End Points for Tasks
Why: Neurodivergent users may experience anxiety when processes feel endless.
How: Define start points, progress indicators, and a visible “completion” confirmation.
Not explicitly in WCAG
14. Offer “Low-Stimulation” Modes
Why: Some users benefit from extremely minimal interfaces.
How: Provide optional “calm” versions with fewer visuals, simplified interactions, and muted color palettes.
Not explicitly in WCAG
15. Support Error Recovery Gracefully
Why: Errors can trigger frustration and abandonment.
How: Offer immediate, non-blaming error messages, clear paths to fix mistakes, and auto-saving wherever possible.
16. Minimize Time-Sensitive Interactions
Why: Processing speed varies, and pressure can increase cognitive load.
How: Avoid timed quizzes, expiring carts without warnings, or time-limited forms. Allow extensions easily.
Final Reflection
Building for neurodivergent users is not just a “nice to have” or a checkbox exercise in compliance.
It is about understanding that the digital world often amplifies barriers that neurodivergent individuals already face in their daily lives.
An inclusive approach must go beyond visual contrast ratios or keyboard navigation.
It must ask:
- Can this experience adapt to different patterns of attention and cognition?
- Does it respect the user’s need for predictability, clarity, and control?
- Are users empowered to personalize their interaction according to their cognitive and sensory comfort?
Neurodivergent users bring creativity, focus, depth, and resilience when systems are built to support them rather than trip them.
The 16 guidelines presented here are practical steps towards that support, but they also invite a broader design philosophy: one that sees difference not as a deficit to “fix,” but as a diversity to design for.
When we design with neurodivergent users at the center, we inevitably build better experiences for everyone.
Creating technology that embraces all minds is not only ethical — it’s a design evolution.
