A. Appendix: Mapping User Needs, Personas, and Patterns
A.1 Objective 1: Help users understand what things are and how to use them
Help users understand what things are and how to use them. Use things that are familiar to the user so that they do not have to learn new icons, symbols, terms, or design patterns. People with cognitive and learning disabilities often need common behavior and design patterns. For example, they may know the standard convention for links (underlined and blue for unvisited; purple for visited).
A.2 Objective 2: Help users find what they need
Help users find what they need. Navigating a system should be easy. Have a clear and easy to follow layout with visual cues, such as icons. Clear headings, boundaries, and regions also helps people understand the page design.
A.3 Objective 3: Use clear and understandable content
Use clear content (text, images and media). This includes easy words, short sentences and blocks of text, clear images, and easy to understand video.
A.4 Objective 4: Help users avoid mistakes and know how to correct them
Help users avoid mistakes. A good design makes errors less likely. Do not ask the user for more things than you need! When errors occur, the user should find it easy to correct them.
A.5 Objective 5: Help users focus
Help users focus. Avoid distracting the user from their task. If the user does get distracted, headings and breadcrumbs can help orientate the user and help the user restore the context when it is lost. Providing linked breadcrumbs can help the user undo mistakes.
A.6 Objective 6: Ensure processes do not rely on memory
Ensure processes do not rely on memory. Memory barriers stop people with cognitive disabilities from using content. This includes long passwords to log in and voice menus that involve remembering a specific number or term. Make sure there is an easier option for people who need it.
| User Stories | Patterns | Scenarios |
|---|---|---|
| Remembering from Previous Steps | ||
| Accessible Authentication |
Related Patterns |
|
| Voice Menus |
Related Patterns |
A.7 Objective 7: Provide help and support
Provide help and support. This includes: making it easy to get human help. If users have difficulty sending feedback, then you will never know if they are able to use the content or when they are experiencing problems. In addition, support different ways to understand content. Graphics, summaries of long documents, adding icons to headings and links, and alternatives for numbers are all examples of extra help and support.
A.8 Objective 8: Support adaptation and personalization
Support adaptation and personalization. People with cognitive and learning disabilities often use add-ons or extensions as assistive technology. Sometimes, extra support requires minimal effort from the user via personalization that allows the user to select preferred options from a set of alternatives. Support personalization when you can. Do not disable add-ons and extensions!