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For individuals with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), certain design practices in products, apps, and websites can pose significant challenges. While these designs might be perfectly functional for the general population, they can create unnecessary obstacles for those with ADHD. This article explores common "anti-ADHD" design practices, shares personal experiences, and offers strategies to cope with these issues.
Hidden Menu Options
One particularly frustrating design practice is hiding unavailable menu options rather than greying them out. For someone with ADHD, this requires the additional cognitive load of remembering the entire user interface (UI) to understand what is and isn’t available. It disrupts the flow and increases the mental effort needed to navigate the app or product.
Strategy: Where possible, choose apps and tools with clear and consistent UI designs. If switching tools isn’t an option, consider creating a personal guide or cheat sheet to help remember key functions and options.
Long Pages of Text
Long pages of unbroken text can be overwhelming and difficult to process for individuals with ADHD. The constant scrolling can disrupt concentration and make it hard to retain information.
Strategy: Use the Page Up/Page Down keys to read in blocks, breaking the text into more manageable sections. Additionally, browser extensions or apps that reformat text into shorter paragraphs and add more white space can help improve readability.
Lack of Visual Hierarchy
Websites or apps that lack a clear visual hierarchy can be confusing. When everything on a page looks equally important, it’s hard to focus on what’s necessary.
Strategy: Use browser extensions that allow customization of web pages, such as changing fonts, colours, and sizes to create a more distinct visual hierarchy. Highlighting or underlining key sections can also help in quickly identifying important information.
Too Many Notifications
While notifications are meant to keep users informed, excessive notifications can be highly distracting for someone with ADHD. Constant interruptions can break focus and reduce productivity.
Strategy: Customize notification settings to limit distractions. Only allow essential notifications and schedule specific times to check non-urgent alerts. Tools like “Focus Mode” or “Do Not Disturb” can also help manage notifications more effectively.
Non-Intuitive Navigation
Apps and websites with complex or non-intuitive navigation can be particularly challenging. If the path to finding information isn’t straightforward, it’s easy to get lost or give up.
Strategy: Opt for products with simpler, more intuitive designs whenever possible. For necessary tools with poor navigation, take time to learn and practice using them, or seek out user guides and tutorials to build familiarity.
Overloaded Dashboards
Dashboards with too much information or too many widgets can be overwhelming. The excess data can distract from the primary tasks and goals.
Strategy: Customize dashboards to display only the most critical information. Many apps allow users to hide or rearrange widgets, helping to create a cleaner, more focused workspace.
Inconsistent Design Elements
Inconsistent design elements, such as buttons or menus that look different across various parts of an app, can confuse and disrupt the user experience.
Strategy: If an app or tool’s design is inconsistent, try to familiarize yourself with its quirks through regular use. Documenting the inconsistencies can also serve as a quick reference guide.
Conclusion:
For individuals with ADHD, certain design practices can significantly hinder productivity and increase frustration. Recognizing these challenges and implementing strategies to cope with them can improve the user experience and overall efficiency. By advocating for more ADHD-friendly design practices and utilizing tools to customize our digital environments, we can navigate these obstacles more effectively and create a more manageable and productive workflow.
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