Create for everyone: Design and write with dyslexia in mind.

A friend of mind is dyslexic, a condition I ignorantly associated more with writing than reading. He explained, that digesting information can be difficult, and especially when scrolling up and down on a smart phone. Without making assumptions, I guess he’s not the only one, so I started to try and understand more about dyslexia, and if/how as designers we can help.

According to the British Dyslexia Association, roughly 1 in 10 people in the UK are affected, so it mustn’t be ignored. Fortunately, the BDA also produce a set of guidelines that outlines good practice design, such as ideal font size, choice of type face, colour/contrast and a guide on writing style.

The proliferation of onscreen-reading means these guidelines are more important than ever, particularly for user experience and digital designers. The BDA’s advice is to consider dyslexia even at the briefing stage, keep things simple, remove unnecessary visual elements and focus on what’s important – sound advice regardless.

For marketers, writers and designers keen to reach a wider audience and to be inclusive, the guide is well worth a read. It’s concise, clear and unrestrictive; as you’d expect.

You can download the guide here: http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/common/ckeditor/filemanager/userfiles/Dyslexia_Style_Guide_2018-final.pdf

Keep an eye out for dyslexia awareness week 1^st – 7^th October 2018