Cognitive Accessibility

The hardest accessibility barriers to see are cognitive ones. A screen reader user encounters a missing label and knows immediately. A person with a processing difference encounters an interface that demands too much of their working memory and just... leaves. This skill makes cognitive demands visible and manageable.

When to Use

• Designing multi-step processes or forms
• Creating navigation structures or information architecture
• Evaluating whether an interface asks too much of the user
• Designing for contexts of stress, distraction, or time pressure
• Reviewing any interface for cognitive load

Process

Step 1: Assess Cognitive Load

For each screen or flow, evaluate three types of load: