How to Design for People with Special Needs: UI / UX principles

People with special needs also form part of the traffic to your site. By developing a web design for visitors with physical disabilities, you will make them happy and increase the reputation of your company.

Some companies find that designing for people with disabilities is expensive. But if you take into account the interests of ordinary people and people with disabilities and find a compromise in web design, you will get access to a larger audience.

Photo by Pixabay from Pexels

In today’s article, we’ll look at what principles that every UX design company should rely on when designing for people with disabilities. We will tell you what to do if the user has a visual impairment, deafness, or dyslexia.

Contents:

  • UI for visitors with color perception problems
  • Design for people with reading disabilities
  • UX for users with deafness
  • UI / UX for visually impaired visitors
  • General tips: creating the right hierarchy, preparing alternatives
  • Conclusion

UX for users with color blindness

People with a lack of color perception makeup at least 8% of the world’s population. They are mostly men. The most common distortion is called deuteranopia.  People that have it see red and green, almost like two identical shades of yellow.

This leads to confusion. For example, if the red button means “no” and the green button means “yes”, people may get confused and not understand what these web forms do.

To solve the problem is it recommended:

  1. Sign the buttons correctly. Create clear text that transfers meaning.
  2. Add the attribute “alt”. So users can understand the meaning of the image. Also, if it does not load, they will see an alternative signature about the essence of the picture.
  3. Increase contrast. Use different colors, fonts, heading styles. This will help to better distinguish sections of the site.

Design for people with dyslexia

The disease is also known as “reading disorder.” It affects 7% of the world’s population. People with dyslexia can hardly pronounce written words and have trouble reading. They cannot read websites with poor contrast or illegible fonts.

To solve the problem, professional designers use contrast. To smooth out the flaw, increase the text of the capital letters, add more distance between the characters, and change the height of the line. You can use oblique characters. Ideally, you can design your own font design specifically for people suffering from this disease.

Tip: You can use ready-made ones – for example, Dyslexie font from Christian Boer.

User experience for people with deafness

Sometimes on the website, in addition to textual information, you have to post a video. In this case, some people may miss important information about your company. An introductory video without subtitles can cross out all the possibilities to provide the deaf client with the necessary information.

By the way, subtitles can also be used for visually impaired people. By making them larger and more visible, you save them from having to read the entire site.

UX/UI for people with motor disabilities

Some people have problems using a mouse and keyboard when working with a computer. To make users happier, we recommend reducing the number of interactions to a minimum — no need to hide important data behind the items you need to hover over.

You can increase the size of web forms or add interaction shortcuts. After that, when entering the site, the user should receive a map with all the available combinations.

The right visual hierarchy and alternative content

Organize your UI with a well-thought-out hierarchy of the site. Post content that is meaningful and makes it related to each other. So the user will be able to accurately understand the purpose of each web form. Add tips to explain what the element does will further increase the usability of the site.

Tip: When creating a hierarchy, do not overdo it. Overloading the site with content will only frighten away the user.

You can also add the ability to enlarge the screen, and this will appeal to users with visual impairments. Preparation of alternative types of content, such as audio versions of articles, will provide an opportunity to receive information for users with visual and hearing impairments. Everyone will be able to choose what is convenient for them.

Conclusion

When preparing a design for people with disabilities, try to take into account the needs of each group. Add more contrast for people with color problems. Use special fonts for visitors with reading disabilities. Add hotkeys for people with motor problems. Create alternative content, so everyone can use it. Organize the correct visual hierarchy. Using these tips will help improve the usability of the site and make it convenient for people with disabilities.

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