UX Principles that include Cognitive Accessibility

Gareth Ford Williams
UX Collective
Published in
8 min readSep 17, 2020

As so much of what neurodivergent users need is rooted in a mixture of usability best practices and accessibility considerations, I wondered if there was a need for a Cognitive perspective on UX Design Principles that not only brings a neurodivergent perspective, but also grounds itself through links to relevant guidance and resources. Then one thing lead to another…

Gareth Ford Williams
Gareth Ford Williams

Design Principles are nothing new. There are Universal Design Principles, Inclusive Design Principles, NN Groups Usability Heuristics, etc.

These are all very useful resources, but they did not feel like they were quite what I was looking for as something seemed to be missing.

Cognitive design as a practice came out of studies in user interaction with consumer products in the 1970s, and by the 80s their use was commonplace in the product design industry. Parts of these principles have transferred into the digital space as “Usability Heuristics” but they have an issue.

They are like all the other aforementioned principle frameworks, they are relevant but only from a rather neurotypical perspective. Why? Because they predate the recent upsurge in interest and appreciation of neurodiversity within user groups.

So I set myself a challenge. To draft a set of principles based on NN Groups Usability Heuristic interpretation of Cognitive Design, but re-imagined from a neurodivergent perspective.

These are in no way a replacement for COGA or other programmes focusing on cognitive accessibility, but a way of re-contextualised a proven design framework from a single neurodivergent person’s perspective (me).

After each of the following principles, there are links to both the NN Group’s Usability Heuristics as well as the related BBC Accessibility Guidelines for websites and native mobile applications.

The reason I have added links to the BBC’s guidelines is that they were written with cognitive accessibility built-in. This then takes the principles and adds practical guidance regarding their implementation.

1. Standard Elements

Many user errors are actually caused by design inconsistencies in how things work, so ensure that similar elements work the same way. Standard design patterns help prevent errors which is why design systems, design conventions, and web standards are so important.

Users should not have to re-learn the interactions of common tasks locally when they have already learned them universally.

All functional designs should have audio and visual consistency from both interactive and informational perspectives.

See related NN Group articles on Do Interface Standards Stifle Design Creativity? and Usability Heuristic Consistency Standards

Consistency

Consistent Labelling

2. Affordances and Signifiers

An affordance is a perceived way in which an element will behave when interacted with. Not all affordances are intentionally designed.

Signifiers are icons, labels, colours or sounds that define how and where actions are to be performed. A signifier tells us what needs to be done and clarifies affordances.

Affordances and Signifiers enable a designer to take advantage of perceptions and expectations.

The concept of both affordances and Signifiers are closely related to that of a standard, but much less consciously determined. Whereas a standard is a formal agreement to eliminate inconsistencies, affordances and signifiers can also be based on an informal convention that has evolved through time.

There should always be a strong relationship between the perception of the need to take any action and the action itself.

See related NN Group article Match Between the System and the Real World

Actionable Elements

Colour and Meaning

Input Format

Labelling Form Controls

3. Simplicity

There is such a thing as too much information and this can either be an issue of volume, or information provided in too complex a fashion. In general, visual and UX design best practice strives to simplify both presentation and interactions.

Clutter divides attention and increases cognitive load reducing user response time and accuracy.

See NN Group article on Aesthetic and Minimalist Design

Adjustability

Form Layout

Grouping Form Elements

Instructions

4. Clear Communication

Another common problem is caused by a user not being able to identify or interpret a message.

There are issues in presenting clear images and messages: noticeable, distinguishable, and interpretable.

Important messages must be noticeable. They should contrast with their surroundings and be given appropriate priority.

Important messages should be distinguishable from surrounding information. Unrelated messages should be easy to distinguish from one another, so the degree of their relationship is clear.

All messages should be interpretable. An example of one type of issue is avoiding the use of characters that look alike e.g. 1lI, B8, QOCD, and try to break up long strings in phone numbers e.g. (000) 000–0000

Interpretation is key when displaying errors. The technical information is important but non-technical advice should also be included so the user knows what they should do to resolve the issue.

Choose an accessible typeface too… not one that says it is “accessible”. For more information see my previous article on Choosing an Accessible Typeface.

See NN Group article on Help and Documentation

Colour and Meaning

Colour Contrast

Consistent Labelling

Descriptive Links

Error Messages and Correction

Input Format

Labelling Form Controls

Styling and Readability

Visible Focus

5. Redundancies

Sometimes one message or mode of interaction is insufficient. Because mistakes are easy to make and humans have many limitations, it is important to consider the provision of the same information in more than one way and in more than one place. If the user misses or cannot access one cue, they pick up on another.

This can sometimes mean there is duplication of effort (consumption or interaction) on behalf of the user and this needs to be considered by the designer against any risk of error.

Redundancy is not just information but also interaction modes such as point, speak, touch or tab that are cognitively more accessible to different users.

Every system needs the flexibility to support the needs of both novice and expert users, but flexibility should also extend to users with different cognitive requirements such as styles of learning, communication and control.

See related NN Group articles on Flexibility and Efficiency of Use and Accelerators Allow Experts to Increase Efficiency

Adjustability

Choice

Colour and Meaning

Links to Alternative Formats

6. Patterns

Humans can be pretty good at spotting and grasping the purpose of patterns. Information presented as a pattern can be understood quickly and accurately whereas if there is no obvious structure or hierarchy people can become confused. In this way grouping information, content, or controls in related outcomes, subjects or functions aids user engagement. Similarly, placing elements in patterns or in a specific context will help indicate to the user what to do.

Patterns enable people to learn, relate and engage as their comprehension is built upon all previous interactions with particular products or services.

Colour and Meaning

Focus Order

Form Layout

Grouping Form Elements

Headings

7. Recognition Rather than Recall

Most users can build up a mental map and understanding of a system to enable them to use it ever more efficiently however some users neither have the short or long-term memory to be able to support this. Make objects, actions, and options obvious and persistent so the user is not dependant on having to remember information from. Help and instruction should be easily identifiable, contextual and easily retrievable, and if user error is persistent a system should be able to detect when a user needs help or advancement.

See NN Group article on Recognition Rather Than Recall and the video on the same subject.

Consistency

Consistent Labelling

Grouping Form Elements

Labelling Form Controls

Standard Operating System Notifications

8. Variable Stimuli and the Pop-Out Effect

All humans detect an occasional novel stimulus more readily than a constant one because our senses fatigue easily with continuous exposure.

Terms and Conditions or warnings are notorious for being overlooked since they quickly become part of the background and simply are not noticed. This filtration process is something that is generally seen as a benefit as it is a sign that people are developing strategies from ongoing interactions however in some instances it is important to avoid excessive use of a single way of presenting information, especially when it comes to user commitment or safety.

This is also important to consider when introducing a new proposition or an extension to the provision of an existing service. Unearthing and exposing underused functionality that adds benefit to a user is also important if people bypass something that could be of use to them later.

Colour and Meaning

Error Messages and Correction

Flicker

BBC GEL Iconography

9. Feedback and Notification

As a general rule the sooner and clearer feedback is given, the easier it is to determine if an error has been made or not.

The total absence of feedback prevents a user from knowing if an action has been successful and if a mistake has been made. It also greatly increases the likelihood that user error will be repeated.

As products and platforms can have multiple background applications running, notifications have become a key part of any user experience. These should always be a mixture of visual, audible, and haptic with the user being able to control the individual level of persistence.

Notifications shouldn’t compete with each other for attention but instead should uniquely identify themselves in each communication mode.

See NN Group articles Visibility of System Status, Help and Documentation, Avoiding Unconscious Slips and Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover from Errors

Instructions

Colour and Meaning

Error Messages and Correction

Feedback and Assistance

10. User Control and Choice

Products should always be designed in a way that enables users to choose how they control the interface and what mode they wish to consume content.

From a control perspective, this covers all standard modes of user input: pointing device, keyboard, touch screen, and voice command.

As well as all modes of output: Static Text, Video, Audio, Timed Text or Braille.

All text must be able to be heard, all dialogue should be able to be read and complex interactions such as games should be able to be re-configured.

See NN Group articles User Control and Freedom and Visibility of System Status

Adjustability

Autoplay

Changing Focus

Choice

Controlling Media

Links to Alternative Formats

Timeouts

I’m hoping that this article will get others thinking about UX Design from different cognitive perspectives.

For another perspective, I’d recommend you have a watch of Jamie Knight’s Cognitive Accessibility 107 Beta, 103 Gaming Addition talks, and blogposts Cognitive Accessibility Part 1 and Part 2. There are lots of useful links at the end of this article too.

#accessibility #a11y #cognition #neurodiversity #ADHD #dyslexia #autism #usability #inclusion #UX #cognitivedesign #UXdesign

Related Videos

Cognitive Accessibility 107- Jamie Knight & Lion — Meetup #11 — February 2018
Cognitive Accessibility 101: Gaming Edition — Jamie Knight & Lion — #GAConf
UX LIVE 2018 — Robert Youmans (Youtube) — Key Principles of Cognitive Design
Gareth Ford Williams — The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers — ADHD Accessibility

If you are after something for Cognitive Accessibility for Video Games then check out the NN Group Heuristics for Video Games, Games Accessibility Guidelines cognitive accessibility section and the BBC GEL Games Accessibility for Children.

Useful links:

Are You A Cognitive Designer? Don Norman

A Customer Experience Is Not A Journey

BBC Accessibility for Digital Products

BBC GEL: Construing Cognitive Design

BBC GEL Design Patterns

BBC GEL How To Guides

BBC GEL Technical Documents

Design for the way People Think. Don Norman

Games Accessibility Guidelines

How to use the psychology principle of confirmation bias in UX design

Inclusive Design Principles

Nielsen Norman Group 10 Usability Heuristics

Nielsen Norman Group 10 Usability Heuristics Applied to Video Games

Principles of Human Centred Design. Don Norman

The Dawn of the Cognitive Design Experience

WCAG Cognitive Accessibility Issues Paper

WCAG Cognitive Accessibility User Research

WCAG Cognitive Accessibility Gap Analysis

Web Aim Cognitive Disability Design Considerations

The UX Collective donates US$1 for each article published on our platform. This story contributed to World-Class Designer School: a college-level, tuition-free design school focused on preparing young and talented African designers for the local and international digital product market. Build the design community you believe in.

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Written by Gareth Ford Williams

Director at Ab11y.com and The Readability Group. I am an Ex-Head of UX Design and Accessibility at the BBC and I have ADHD and I’m Dyslexic.

Responses (4)

What are your thoughts?

Love this window into cognitive design, thanks, Gareth!

Linking to this in a blog Im writing

One of the most inquisitive articles considering WCAG and accessibility perspective, a thorough written notes on the similarities between conformance levels and UX design principles.
Greatly written!