Integrating The Unique Experience of Dyslexic Users Into Design

Design is all-inclusive. It aims to reach out and make an impression on everyone. The art of designing is focused on delivering the message and providing each individual with a unique experience. But what if someone’s perception of the message is blurry, distorted, and confusing? How can we help users who can’t grasp the overall design clearly?

This is the reality for dyslexic users.

Dyslexia is a familiar disability, but not everyone understands the depth of its effects. Reaching out to dyslexic users is a unique challenge to designers who want to reach more, and reach out better. Those with dyslexia see things — specifically attributes of design — differently. For dyslexic users, designs could not make much sense especially when they can’t clearly recognize the entire message.

How do designers incorporate the distinctive needs of dyslexic users? It all starts with empathy. Seda Maurer, a proponent of the Accessibility Program at Sabre Corporation, encourages designers to include those with special needs in the design creation process. Through this, the number of people who can appreciate and understand the message of each design won’t be limited.

Here are some ideas on how to create a design that reaches out to dyslexic users.

Come up with customized visual preferences.

When creating a design for dyslexic users, consider the suggested text, and spacing preferences. Organizations like the British Dyslexia Association are publishing updated guidelines on fonts, spacing, and colors that will appeal even to users with dyslexia.

Use clear, large san serif fonts

Bigger, readable fonts are noted to increase and improve readability for dyslexic users by 35%. Design should include typeface fonts, large san serif fonts like Verdana, Tahoma, and Arial. Suggested point size ranges from 12 to 15.

Consider text placement

To avoid the River Effect that dyslexic users experience when reading a justified or centered text, consider the text placement. It is advisable to keep the words left-aligned to avoid the River Effect.

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