Cognitive
Tools and techniques to help you test for cognitive impairments
Cognitive impairments affect how people process and understand information.
Common conditions include:
- learning disabilities (dyslexia and dyscalculia)
- memory issues (brain fog, Alzheimer's and dementia)
- mental health conditions (anxiety and depression)
- brain injuries (stroke and traumatic brain injury)
Challenges for people with cognitive impairments
Cognitive impairments can make it difficult to:
- process information
- focus for long periods of time
- recall information, such as passwords
- complete tasks without help
Testing tools to identify barriers
Run automated tests
Start by using automated tools to identify accessibility issues, including cognitive impairments. Automated tools work best when used collectively, so you should use all 3 together.
You could install and use:
Run manual tests
After automated tests, you should do manual tests. They can identify more accessibility problems and let you see how your product or website works for people with different cognitive impairments.
You could use:
Run screen reader tests
You should also test with a screen reader, to understand how people who use one might navigate your product or website.
Test with personas
You could use HMRC's accessibility personas. They're a good starting point to understand user needs of people with disabilities.
Simone
Dyslexic user
Simone uses specialist dyslexia software which reads out documents and web pages, and helps her read and spell.
She needs:
- plain language
- save and return functionality
- clear, structured content