What is a Neurodivergent-Friendly Website, Exactly?
Neurodivergent-friendly websites are designed to work for a variety of brains & processing styles — making the Internet a more inclusive place & your website a pleasure to navigate.
Introduction
I’m Liz Zhou, a web designer, copywriter, and therapist. I build beautiful, thoughtful websites for therapists & coaches, so they can connect with their ideal clients, show up authentically online, and share their unique gifts with the world.
Let’s define “neurodivergent-friendly” websites.
First things first: the term “neurodivergent” refers to individuals whose brains differ from what’s considered “normal.”
Much of our world is designed around the assumption that all brains & bodies work in the same way – that we all process information at the same speed, that our nervous systems are wired to react in the same way, that there is one “typical” human experience.
However, we know that that’s far from the truth.
There are so many different ways to experience the world; so many neurotypes, processing styles, and attention spans.
The world needs more spaces that are built with neurodivergent people in mind – and that includes digital spaces, like websites.
When I call a website “neurodivergent-friendly,” I mean that it’s designed, written, and structured in a way that works for a diverse range of processing styles & sensory needs — not just neurotypical brains.
An important caveat: because there is such a wide spectrum of neurodivergent experiences, it’s not realistic to claim that a neurodivergent-friendly website will be liked by every single person in the world.
After all, a website that feels calm & welcoming to one person might feel overwhelming to another. Therefore, neurodivergent-friendly is a subjective label, rather than an objective measurement.
What we can say, then, is that neurodivergent-friendly websites are likely to:
feel welcoming & inclusive for a range of people >> which helps your website visitors (and future clients) to connect with you & build trust in you
feel gentle on the nervous system, via non-overwhelming colors, readable fonts, & intentional design choices >> which creates a sensory-soothing experience for visitors & keeps them on your website longer
make sense for a variety of processing styles – slow, fast, complex/deep, dynamic/fluctuating, and more >> which helps your website visitors to process information & understand if your services are the right fit for them, leading to better-fit inquiries & higher conversion rates when people do reach out
Put simply: a neurodivergent-friendly website is a foundational tool for your business.
Why neurodivergent-friendly websites are helpful for every type of business
Even if your business isn’t focused on neurodivergent clients – for example, maybe you provide mindfulness coaching for parents, or spiritual counseling for grievers – you might be surprised to learn how many people in your clientele are actually neurodivergent (even if they don’t use that word to describe themselves).
The truth is, neurodivergent-friendly design resonates with many people, including neurotypical folks.
It’s like universal design in architecture: a home built to be accessible for people with disabilities usually feels more functional for able-bodied people, too. The same principle applies to your website.
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