Author: andrea.hurtadotorres

Design thinking is a problem-solving approach that involves empathy, experimentation, and iteration. This approach can be particularly beneficial for neurodivergent individuals, as it allows them to approach design challenges in new and innovative ways.

This method starts with empathy and encourages designers to understand the needs and perspectives of users. This means understanding the way their minds work and how they process information. Designers can use this understanding to create products that are more accessible and usable by the users. 

Allowing them to bring their unique perspectives and experiences to the design process.

Design thinking is an iterative process, which means that designers are encouraged to continuously refine and improve their designs. This can be particularly beneficial for individuals with nontypical brains, as it allows them to approach design challenges in a flexible and adaptive manner. 

It is also important to create a supportive and inclusive environment for neurodivergent people can help to ensure that their perspectives and experiences are valued and integrated into the design process.

Design thinking allows to approach design challenges in new and innovative ways. By starting with empathy, experimenting and prototyping, iterating, working with multidisciplinary teams, and focusing on the needs of users.  

Designing tools for neurodivergent individuals can help improve their daily lives and increase their independence and productivity. Requires an understanding of the unique challenges and needs of these users. 

Some of the key considerations when designing these tools include:

1. User-friendly interface: Tools should have a simple and intuitive interface that is easy to use. Clear instructions, step-by-step guides, and visual aids can help making them more accessible.
2. Customizability: This can include options like adjusting the font size, color, and layout, as well as the ability to personalize settings and preferences.
3. Structure and organization: Many neurodivergent individuals struggle with organization and prioritizing tasks. Keeping track of their tasks and responsibilities provides structure and clarity to their daily routines.
4. Visual aids: Graphics, animations, and videos, can be helpful for neurodivergent individuals in understanding complex information, helping improve memory and recall, and make learning and comprehension easier.
5. Accessibility: Tools for neurodivergent individuals should be accessible and usable by individuals with a wide range of abilities and disabilities.

By taking these considerations into account, it is possible to create tools that empower neurodivergent individuals to reach their full potential and improve their daily lives.

The neurodiverse population has grown in recent years, with more and more people getting diagnose and being able to recognise their condition. This is a positive step towards acceptance, but it’s not enough. Neurodiversity should be more than just about being a dignose; it should be about being yourself.

Did you know that one in every eight people are neurodivergent? Around 50% of them don’t even know about it.  Neurodivergents tend to be high energy, out of the box thinkers and bold problem solvers, but when it comes to working in the typical modern workplace the challenges arise. 

The main problem these days is distractions, having immediate entertainment one click away, makes it even harder to focus and complete tasks effectively. Distractions lead to a loss of productivity, taking double the time it takes non neurodivergent people to complete activities. 

To mitigate distractions, we should not only improve graphic tools for learning performance, but also spaces that empower people to concentrate and focus.  Spaces with controlled sensory stimulation, where every user can decide the amount of stimulation in need, we need to remember that for some it’s easier to focus while having multisensory inputs as for others is way more challenging, giving the users the ability to choose will encourage them to find focus easier. 

Another important aspect in creating spaces for neurodivergent users is the wayfinding systems. Environments, digital and analog, need to make sense. Having easier and more intuitive ways of mapping areas or browse through a digital space, makes helps the user complete tasks in an easier and more successful way. 

Humans, we’re so many similar qualities between us; nevertheless, each and one of use has a unique skillset and set of neurological patterns which differentiate us from each other. As addressed on the last post, the term neurodiversity refers to diverse array of brains and minds which impacts the way we learn and process information. 

Some of the most common difficulties neurodivergent brains face include difficulty retaining information if it’s presented only in an auditory form, as well as a difficulty of processing written information quickly, and concentration while having multisensory inputs at the same time.  It is important to consider certain aspects while designing to reduce the risk of stress and overwhelming people, affecting their work, and learning performance. 

Simple tools we can implement are:

• Avoiding big blocks of texts. It’s easier to grasp important information when you can get a quick snapshot of key concepts. 
• Create learning content with visual and auditory aids. Having two inputs of information might reinforce memorizing information, just be careful you don’t add too many inputs or that they might become a distraction instead of an aid. 
• Give clear and concise instructions. A huge part of designing for neurodiversity is making sure your user understands the instructions properly. This means, creating some extra space in your process in case the user needs to skip some steps without causing them to get stuck. 

Remember that great minds think unalike. This also means they learn and gather information differently, in fact most of us learn in multiple ways at different times, depending on our environment and the type of task we need to complete. 

For many people, the forgetful guy, the emotion driven kid, the easily distracted student are the image of how a person with learning and task managing difficulties is. We often find ourselves blaming the actor but not the context, thinking the way someone is without taking into consideration that we live in a society made for stereotypical, and ‘normal people’.

This encourages us to put a part of society into labels and groups segregating them, creating insecurities and doubts amount a group of people that lives in a neurotypical designed society. They are not forgetful, easily distracted, or sensitive, these are actions, or the lack of them, triggered by a one type of mentally stimulated context. What would happen if their contexts and the objects they interact with were simpler and carefully designed to consider not only different physical capacities but also mental ones?

Every mind is a whole different universe, this means, that we all have different ways of learning, of retaining information, remembering things, controling emotions, feeling and thinking. When it comes to our brains, there are two types of brains, the neurotypical ones, which are known as ‘the normal people’, and the neurodiversity ones, ‘the people who have troubles’. But the correct definition for neurodiversity is the variations in sensory, cognitive, affectual, and intellectual functioning of the brain, because of a normal and natural variation of the human genome, which socially situates people as ‘other than the norm’.

As designers we try to reach as much users as possible, but we find ourselves design within the norms of users being part of the predominant neurotype, while there is a huge population there’s a need to bring inclusivity and effortless interfaces in a society where everything has been created for neurotypical users, but to be included in it. We must redefine the approach the discipline should take; it is not only considering the business and its profits but looking more into how design can create tools in diverse contexts to benefit other industries and users.