3 Tips for Designing with ADHD

With diagnoses of ADHD on the rise, designers everywhere could benefit from knowing how someone with an attention deficit interacts with their site. By taking this into consideration when designing, you open the door to the estimated 1.8 million Canadians with ADHD, making their experience with your website easier.

To know how to design for people with ADHD, it's important to know what ADHD is and how it can affect the user journey.

What is ADHD?

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder. It is described as a "persistent or ongoing pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that gets in the way of daily life or typical development." People with ADHD may show mostly inattentive symptoms, mostly hyperactive or impulsive symptoms, or a combination of both.

Common Inattentive Symptoms

1. Trouble keeping attention
2. Getting distracted easily
3. Difficulty organizing
4. Avoiding tasks requiring sustained mental effort

Common Hyperactive/Impulsive Symptoms

1. Fidgeting or squirming
2. Struggling to stay seated
3. Struggling to wait or take turns
4. Excessive talking

How Can ADHD Affect Design?

Browsing the internet with ADHD presents unique challenges. For one thing, the internet has so much information that it can be overstimulating. Maintaining focus long enough to take in all of a webpage's content can also be difficult without proper strategies.

With so many websites out to grab your attention, users may encounter any number of distractions that could interrupt their focus. This becomes an even bigger problem for users with ADHD who already struggle with maintaining attention for long periods of time.

3 Tips for Designing for ADHD

Creating an ADHD-friendly website is all about predictability and minimal distractions. Keep these three tips in mind during your design phase:

1. Keep Navigation Simple and Consistent

• Keep important navigation elements, like the menu or contact info, in the same spot to help users navigate your website with ease.
• Use consistent color schemes, easy-to-read typography, and predictable layouts to lower the mental load for users with ADHD.

2. Break Up Content into Small Chunks

• Your website has valuable information, but it can look like a lot to get through when it's one big block of text. This can turn away visitors who struggle to stay focused for long periods of time. Use these strategies to provide visual breaks for viewers:
  • Keep paragraphs short, especially for longer content like blogs and articles.
  • Separate topics using headings and subheadings.
  • Use numbered lists and bullet points.
  • Include images and graphics where possible (don't forget the alt text!).

3. Keep the Bells and Whistles Minimal

• With pop-ups, animations, and auto-playing music and videos, modern websites can be a lot to look at. For many users, especially those with ADHD, these features can be distracting enough to tank an otherwise good website. Distracting features, especially auto-playing animations, should be kept to a minimum or left out of your website entirely. If you do include them, always make them easy to bypass; Make exit options for popups obvious and include the option to pause or skip auto-playing content.

With these tips, you're one step closer to designing a website that is inclusive for everyone, regardless of their abilities!

Sources and Further Reading

• People with ADHD - Userway
• ADHD Symptoms and Diagnosis - ADHD Awareness Month
• ADHD Awareness Month Official Website
• Myths and Facts About ADHD - ADHD Awareness Month
• How to Make Your Website More Accessible for People with ADHD - BOIA
• ADHD-Friendly Web Design: Minimizing Distractions - BOIA
• About ADHD - CADDAC
• Research Article on ADHD - PubMed Central