A toolkit for living as a dyslexic designer
Resaurch, resurch, f**k, research — ok that looks better. I write the word ‘research’ numerous times each day. It’s a part of the design process. Despite that, I’m still coming up with strange alternative spellings.
I’m terrible at grammar. Being terrible at grammar has been a constant companion throughout my life. I’m also dyslexic. Being dyslexic explains grammar errors, but being terrible at grammar doesn’t explain dyslexia. It’s something wider, not fully explored by science at this point. It feels like being wired differently. Same parts, just following a different set of manuals — often leaving gaps in ability in places in life that others take for granted. Things like spelling, reading, writing, short-term memory, organisation, language processing and more… That’s where tools come in; bridging the gap by augmentation.
The only issue is when I was born there weren’t any smartphones, laptops or the internet.
The operations manual for living with Dyslexia didn’t exist.
So I have been making a tool kit, not always consciously, but it’s happened. It helps that I like tools. I have made a career making them. My fascination is very much driven by my reliance on them.
Some of the early tools available to dyslexics growing up in the 90s sucked. For example, “the dyslexic dictionary”, I can’t find the exact one online. It was supposed to be a phonetic interpretation of the normal English dictionary, counteracting against the frequent unusual spelling this fluid language has. Sound out the word, find the made-up phonetic version and next to it would be the correct spelling. But sheesh, I couldn’t use it — but thanks for trying unknown author!
Then there was the yellow overhead sheet because the ‘words jump around’ (the kid that said this has a lot to answer for) on the white background. This struck me as odd at the time, but sure, why not try. Didn’t work.
In fact nothing was particularly useful until computers arrived. Actually not just computers, the internet arrived with its endless possibilities.
Fast forward to today and it’s fair to say I’m a cyborg of sorts, with digital appendages, sat outside my body, but very much an integral part of daily operation.
Much of the workarounds, tactics, and tools I use are now second nature. I have built up a knowledge of when to deploy an app, or make more time to read an important document and, most importantly, how to manoeuvre around things in the moment that might be a little awkward.
So here are my top hitters. The consistent tools that have persisted for some time.
Tools for spelling stuff right
Providers of design tools need to have a word with themselves. I cut my teeth making interfaces in photoshop. Spellcheck was nonexistent. We used a lot of Lorem Ipsum.
That Figma and Sketch leave it to third-party plugins to provide basic spellcheck is ridiculous.
Highly functional spell check is not just a “nice to have”. The product cycles have decreased. The idea of ‘final’ design that will be passed along the line is now a history book process. Designers are expected to write good interface copy; we need the best tools for that!
But while we are waiting
- Grammarly, install it today! No more needed to say. It’s a huge help every day.
- Google as a spell check 👌 it’s like they are looking for my crazy spelling. Most standard spell checks in applications like Word don’t seem to be tuned for dyslexics.
- Smartphone dictionary — activate dictionaries. Learn the quick access shortcuts. Use the native apps like Apple Notes. They seem to be better supported and integrated with the OS.
- Find your trusted collaborators. This is super important. Humans you can send text to for a quick pass on the crazy spelling and wrong word use.
Tools for reading faster
- For longer reads I have been using www.spreeder.com . I set it up very specifically. Showing 4 words at a time, large font, using arrow keys to progress not the auto play (which is way too fast and makes it hard to think about context at the same time as word comprehension).
Tools for managing life’s information load and bad short term memory
- Make things visual. Kanban boards really help me organise tasks and keep track of progress. Trello is the tool for this.
- Key date / birthday calendar spreadsheet. Something I made to offload all these dates and ages I need to keep track of. Grab the templet here.
- Sleep! Recognise your body’s needs and how this affects the brain abilities. I consistently find that bad sleep results in a highly dyslexic day.
That’s the best of what I have found. I would love to hear about your tools, I am always looking to add to my list.
If you spot any typos keep it to yourself please :)
Extra links
A couple of interesting articles worth a read if you are dyslexic, or wish to understand what it’s like to live with.
- (Read) End of Dyslexia https://www.wired.com/story/end-of-dyslexia/
- (Listen) How Science Is Rewiring The Dyslexic Brain https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/11/29/503693391/researchers-study-what-makes-dyslexic-brains-different?t=1551954285357
