Cognitive Accessibility Design Pattern: Separate Each Instruction
User Need
I need short boxes or chunks of content or sections
What to Do
In instructions, separate each step. State each step clearly. This includes:
- including all steps, even those you think are “obvious”,
- using numbers and lists can also help,
- providing complex instructions in an if/then table, which can be easier to follow, or
- using friendly graphics can help make instructions less scary.
How it Helps
Step-by-step instructions benefit many people such as people with language impairments, processing difficulties, or a memory impairment.
For example, a person with an impaired working memory cannot hold onto many pieces of information at the same time. They are more likely to make mistakes if they need to remember what they are doing, divide the steps, and track what they have done. When instructions are clearly separated and laid out, they can follow them without making mistakes.
Examples
Use:
- Bullet points to separate each step.
-
An if/then table to separate steps based on conditions. For example:
If Then If you want to work in programing: - Make a resume.
- Get some sample code that you wrote.
- Send them to programing@example.com.
If you want to work in design: - Make a resume.
- Get some sample pages that you designed.
- Send them to design@example.com.
Avoid:
-
More than one step in the same block of text without separation. For
example:
- If you want to work in programing, write to programing@example.com with a resume and sample code that you wrote. If you want to work in design, write to design@example.com with a resume and sample pages.