Limited series exploring Neurodiversity Design, article 5/6
UX Factors for Neurodiversity
UX Design and Neurodiversity Design have shared methodologies and goals highlighted in the User Experience Honeycomb.
UX Honeycomb: Based on Peter Morvilles' concept, the expanded User Experience Honeycomb has nine factors that complement and incorporate neurodiverse characteristics, affinities, and needs.
Interactive
Produce simple and concise tasks with a clear, explicit single objective, minimizing memory load, using plain, concise language and visual communication principles for visual learners.
Structured
Provide clear, concise, simple, consistent graphics, navigation, and interactive elements, generating a reliable environment for user engagement.
Attention Retaining
Utilize dynamic visual elements to guide attention with appropriate color schemes and timing transitions. Avoid elements that distract or obstruct users from completing an objective.
Engaging
Encourage engagement by constantly providing concrete and accurate feedback regarding user actions—rewards in response to performance and motivating visual, auditory, or game elements.
Predictable
Provide predictable environments that allow the repetition of actions and a high level of control over the system that is easy to adjust, producing reliable context and interactions.
Frustration-Free
Error management should facilitate recovery, prevent errors, and provide guidance for correcting the problem while communicating errors in clear, accurate language without blaming the user.
Generalizable
Utilize familiar mental models, visual and audio elements, and industry standards to facilitate the interpretation of tasks and workflows.
Sense-aware
Consider user senses by providing a simple, readable, clear, and understandable layout. Prioritize minimalistic aesthetics and graphics that utilize plain language to avoid saturating the screen with irrelevant information, images, and text. Ensure sound alerts are clear, simple, functional, and non-disruptive. Provide reduced motor skill options for touch screens and non-touch interfaces.
Customizable
Allowing the system to adapt to user needs and adjust preferences, including font, colors, volume, textures, and other aspects, increases persistence, ease of use, and engagement.
Designers can derive additional guidance for utilizing the UX Honeycomb model from the Usability model's emphasis on discoverability, accessibility, and ease of use.
Find-ability
Logical structured information and navigational setup
Quickly find information to facilitate adaptation and avoid frustration
Useful
Error prevention to promote a safe and secure environment
Facilitate social interactions to provide predictable, not stressful engagement
Usable
The system is easy to understand, use, and provides predictable interactions
Provide visual hierarchy and structured elements guiding user interests
Desirable
Evoke emotions and appreciation through attractive visual aesthetics and structure
Appeal to visual thinking ensuring a trustworthy workflow and environment
Accessible
The system offers measures/ controls to avoid hyper/hypo-reactivity to sensory inputs, audio, and haptics
The system should consider deficits in fine motor skills during interactions through any input device
Credible
Provide predictable elements, avoiding stressful and frustrating workflows and interactions
The system should comply with skills learning functions and accessibility devices
Next article: Design Considerations for Neurodiversity