Poor UX doesn't just frustrate users, it creates emotional friction: stress, confusion, and overwhelm that can discourage people from completing important tasks. While everyone feels this friction at times, neurodivergent people can often experience it more intensely. As an autistic UX/UI designer, I know how small design choices can mean the difference between moving forward or giving up entirely.
In this session, we'll look at emotional friction and its counterpart, emotional safety, through the lens of neurodiversity. We'll explore how common UX pitfalls such as unclear instructions, inconsistent content, and inaccessible forms impact users differently, and how thoughtful design can reduce these challenges and foster inclusion. Along the way, attendees will also gain a deeper understanding of neurodiversity itself and why it matters in digital design. By focusing on emotional safety, we can build digital experiences that not only meet accessibility requirements but also exceed them, creating trust and ease for all.
Attendees will leave with practical UX patterns and design strategies that support neurodivergent users while improving the experience for everyone.
Attendees will learn how to:
- Understand neurodiversity and its impact on user experiences.
- Recognize emotional friction in digital experiences and how it affects all users, sometimes more strongly for those who are neurodivergent.
- Apply design practices that create emotional safety and foster trust.
- Identify common UX pitfalls that discourage users and learn how to fix them.
- Incorporate inclusive UX patterns that improve usability for all audiences.
