UX & Cognitive Accessibility Making User Experiences Truly Simple !

Before becoming a mobile developer, Marie supported newcomers to France. She quickly learned that when words fall short, visuals and intuitive interactions bridge the gap. Later, these lessons became even more relevant in mobile development, where she faced overloaded screens, complex jargon, and confusing flows. These are barriers that can make apps particularly challenging for people with cognitive disabilities.

This insight led her to Fanny, an expert in mobile accessibility. Their immediate connection sparked a collaboration to turn these lessons into practical design strategies, creating cleaner interfaces with simple language and meaningful visual cues.

In this talk, we’ll show you through hands-on, interactive examples how to simplify user experiences using cognitive accessibility principles. Good design isn’t just beautiful, it’s also understandable by everyone.

Ready to rethink your UX?

Transcript

1. UX & Cognitive Accessibility Making User Experiences Truly Simple !
2. “when words are not enough, pictures and diagrams are very important”
3. “Accessibility shows where UX can be better for everyone.”
4. What about cognitives issues ? Accessibility is not just about visual or motor impairments…
5. Few statistics sources : UK Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) 16.1 million people in the UK are disabled 24%
6. Mental health impairment doubled in 10 years sources : UK Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
7. Most Common Impairments by Age Group sources : UK Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Working-Age Adults (18–64) 🧠 Mental health: 47% 🚶 Mobility: 41% Children (0–17) 🧠 Mental health: 32% Older Adults (65+) 🚶 Mobility: 69%
8. Mental illness ≠ Intellectual disabilities ≠ Cognitive disabilities
9. Mental illness Definition Affecting emotional, psychological, or psychiatric wellbeing Examples : Bipolar disorder, Schizophrenia, Burn-out. Characteristics Variable ability to use intellectual capacities, with fluctuations over time.
10. Intellectual disabilities Definition A lifelong condition with reduced intellectual functioning and adaptive skills. Characteristics Below-average intellectual ability Examples : Down syndrome
11. Cognitive disabilities Definition Specific difficulties affecting cognitive functions without necessarily impacting overall intelligence. Characteristics Challenges with organization, concentration, and memory Examples : ADHD, Alzheimer, Dyslexia.
12. Impacted cognitives functions Memory Langage Thinking skills Learning skills Intelligence Problem solving Decision making Perception Attention
13. In summary… Understand Maintain focus Make decision
14. Basics of cognitive Accessibility
15. 6 KEY PRINCIPLES
16. 1. Clear organization → Clear and logical hierarchy → Enough spacing Bad
17. 1. Clear organization → Information hierarchy, spacing Bad
18. 1. Clear organization → Information hierarchy, spacing Good
19. 2. Enough Time → Enough time to read and use content. Bad
20. 2. Enough Time → Enough time to read and use content. Bad
21. 3. Understandable → Short sentences → Simple words → Easy to read Bad
22. 3. Understandable Bad 97 in French we say : “4 20 10 7”
23. 3. Understandable → Short sentences → Simple words → Easy to read Good
24. 4. Predictable → No surprises for the user → Consistent across screens → Logical reaction to the users actions Bad
25. 4. Predictable →No surprises for the user Bad
26. 4. Predictable →No surprises for the user Bad
27. 4. Predictable →No surprises for the user Good
28. -> Information adjust to different devices and contexts. 5. Adaptability Bad
29. -> Information adjust to different devices and contexts. 5. Adaptability Good
30. 6. Multiple ways to understand → Use visuals, text, and audio to help comprehension Bad
31. 6. Multiple ways to understand → Use visuals, text, and audio to help comprehension Good
32. How to integrate these principles into a mobile application ?
33. Reduce cognitive overload Progress saved locally No time pressure Complex tasks → step-by-step actions
34. Building a Clear Content Hierarchy Titles and subtitles Logical order Group connected items together Use spacing
35. Simplicity and Readability Short sentences and clear language Sufficient contrast between text and background (WCAG ratios) Readable fonts (Luciole, OpenDyslexic, Roboto, Atkinson…)
36. Keyboard Management Appropriate keyboard type for the expected input Auto-complete with ContentType on text fields
37. Predictability and Consistency Similar screen structure across pages Universally recognized icons Icon with text when it’s not No sudden interface changes
38. Meaningful Labels Easy to understand placeholders Persistent input labels, even when input is filled Explicit button text (e.g., “Find a hotel” instead of “Submit”)
39. Meaningful Labels Consistent and easy to understand placeholders Persistent input labels, even when input is filled Explicit button text (e.g., “Find a hotel” instead of “Submit”)
40. Tools and Resources for Testing Cognitive Accessibility
41. Information for all European standards for making information easy to read and understand.
42. Positive language ✅ “Complete your profile to proceed.” instead of ❌ “Do not leave your profile incomplete.” Example of Guidelines
43. Clear and easy-to-read font • Simple and distinct letter shapes • Consistent spacing • No decorative strokes (serifs) Example of Guidelines ❌ Courier New ❌ Playfair Display ✅ Atkinson Hyperlegible ✅ Roboto
44. Few more guidelines • Use lowercase letters instead of writing whole words in capitals. Example: ✅ “Submit form” instead of ❌ “SUBMIT FORM” • Write words in full instead of contractions. Example: ✅ “does not” instead of ❌“doesn’t” • Write numbers as digits for clarity. Example: ✅ “3 new messages” ❌ “three new messages” • Avoid italics for body text — harder to read on screens. Example: ❌ "Your settings have been updated" Example of Guidelines
45. User testing and emulators • No real simulators for cognitive accessibility. • Test with real users. • Build accessibility skills across teams.
46. Integrate in your agile process • In UX/UI phase • In the definition of done • Assign an Accessibility Master • Collaborate with accessibility experts
47. WCAG https://www.w3.org/WAI/cognitive/
48. Who Must Comply with Accessibility in the UK • Public sector: government, local authorities, NHS – websites & apps • Private businesses serving the public. • Companies trading with EU customers: must follow European Accessibility Directive (From : 28 June 2025) • Essential services: banking, utilities, transport, communications
49. Recap
50. 1. Clear organization 2. Enough Time 3. Understandable 4. Predictable 5. Adaptability 6. Multiple ways to understand 6 key principles - Logical order - Group connected items together - Spacing - Titles and Subtitles - Persistent input labels - No time pressure - Progress saved locally - Short sentences and clear language - Easy to understand placeholders - Sufficient contrast - Readable fonts - Explicit button text - Complex tasks →step-by-step actions - Appropriate keyboard type - Auto-complete fields - No sudden interface changes - Universally recognized icons - Icon with label
51. Accessible design leads to better UX for everyone
52. Questions ? Marie Benoit Fanny Demey