cognitive-accessibility
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:
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