Insight
How to design for autism (2026 update)
June 10, 2026
Joey Imlay
Autism is a neurodivergence – a difference in brain structure from typical (neurotypical) brains. Here in the UK, it’s estimated that between 1% and 2% of the population is autistic – upwards of 700,000 people.
To be diagnosed as autistic, a team of specialists must agree that a person shows a set of core characteristics:
• differences in communication
• differences in behaviours and interests
• differences in sensory processing
A study from March 2026 on autistic people’s digital experiences reports that “online spaces can provide distinctive forms of embodied relief and inclusion”, and that “consideration of autistic embodiment can be crucial for understanding accessible, inclusive platforms”.
In short, the internet is an important space for autistic people. But if autism isn’t just one trait or characteristic, how can we design for it?
First, some guidance on how to talk about autism when thinking about designing for autistic people.
The choice between using identity-first language, i.e. “autistic person”, and person-first language, i.e. “person with autism”, ultimately comes down to personal preference. National Autistic Society guidelines recommend identity-first language, as many autistic people view autism as integral to who they are, not as something they have. Scope, on the other hand, uses person-first language, as they use the social model of disability.
There isn’t a right or wrong answer here; both are acceptable. The important thing to remember is that once you’ve chosen a model, stick to it. Writing as an autistic person, I’ll adhere to my preference for identity-first language throughout this piece.
The way we talk about autism has changed in recent times. “Asperger’s syndrome” is no longer a diagnosis given to autistic people with low support needs. In addition, we seek to avoid using the term “autism spectrum disorder” unless specifically referring to medical manuals. Most autistic people don’t consider autism to be a disorder. Autism is not a disease or an illness; it cannot be treated or cured.
• Call it autism, not “autism spectrum disorder” or “Asperger’s syndrome”.
• Choose either identity-first or person-first language. Be consistent with your choice of language.
• Talk about autism as a condition, not a disease.
There is an outdated but persistent belief that autistic people “don’t understand metaphors”. Many autistic people show a strong preference for literal, direct language, but this preference is often rooted in a desire to avoid misinterpretation. There are many, many autistic people working in the arts world who not only understand figurative language but excel at it.
However, when it comes to imparting information to autistic users, be as direct and clear as you can. Ensure that text descriptions in buttons and links clearly explain the intended outcome of the interaction. As much as possible, avoid providing information that isn’t directly related to your topic, as an autistic user may become distracted and overwhelmed.
• Don’t be afraid to use metaphors or idioms as and when it’s appropriate to do so.
• When sharing information or providing instruction, keep language clear and direct.
• If you need to use jargon, abbreviations, or acronyms, explicitly explain their meaning within the text.
• Make button and link text descriptive, so that users know exactly what to expect when they interact.
• Avoid using extraneous information, particularly if that information is about marketing and sales.
Expectation plays a large role in an autistic user’s experience of an online space. Many autistic people show a preference for order, predictability, or routine; these things can go a long way to reducing anxiety that can grow around so many other factors of daily life. So when it comes to designing digital experiences for autistic people, it’s best to stick to established patterns of layout and navigation. Save the experimentation for another audience.
• Stick to established patterns in layout and navigation.
• Keep layouts consistent between pages.
• Have a clear menu or panel from which all the key pages on your website are a single click away.
Focus is a limited resource for autistic people. Monotropism is a common trait in autistic brains, which causes people to struggle with focusing on a task to begin with, but then struggling to stop the task once they’re focused on it.
In addition, many autistic people have excellent pattern recognition skills. When it comes to online experiences, these folks will be able to identify patterns that are designed to steal or manipulate their focus. As this article puts it, “We can become allergic to apps that seem to prioritize the needs of the organization over our needs as users, especially if we are paying customers”.
Imagine a scenario in which an autistic person is focused on navigating through a checkout experience, filling in a form with personal information, but every so often is interrupted by a marketing pop-up that takes up much of the screen and that needs to be closed before they can proceed. The user recognises that these pop-ups are a pattern intended to distract them from the task, decides that the business cannot be trusted to value the user's experience over their desire for profit, and abandons the checkout. The sale is lost, and the marketing has ultimately had the opposite effect.
• Avoid unexpected pop-ups or modals.
• Avoid autoplay, autoscroll, countdowns, forced time-outs, or any kind of behaviour that might give an autistic user a sense of losing control.
• Make close buttons clear and obvious.
• When implementing long or multi-part forms, give the user the option to save the form and return to it later.
Some autistic people are hypersensitive to certain stimuli, and prone to sensory overload when exposed to those stimuli. In some cases, it can even cause physical pain. With the internet being primarily a visual medium, our concern is with visual stimuli: namely colour, light and movement.
Although research into the hues of colours to which autistic people have strong responses exists, it’s more useful in design to consider the saturation of colours. A visual experience with many bright, contrasting colours can quickly become overwhelming for an autistic user with colour hypersensitivity.
Using a desaturated colour palette won’t impede you from adhering to WCAG contrast requirements. For a great example of a muted palette in action, the National Autistic Society website has a colour profile switch that toggles between “vivid” and “calm” palettes. It’s implemented in a similar way to the light/dark mode pattern commonly used in digital spaces.
In terms of movement and animation, remember that focus is a precious resource. Unexpected animation can pull focus or cause undue anxiety. Many browsers and operating systems offer users the option to suppress or reduce motion in their digital experiences, so it’s important that we respect the reduced motion option in our designs, particularly by using the CSS media query ‘prefers-reduced-motion'.
• Offer light/dark mode, or vivid/calm mode.
• Consider using a muted, off-white background colour in light mode.
• Alternatively, consider implementing a mechanism that allows the user to choose their preferred background color.
• Respect the user’s motion preferences by using the ‘prefers-reduced-motion' media query.
• Avoid strobing effects altogether.
Unbroken walls of text can be intimidating for any user but especially so for autistic people. If there’s a lot of information to be taken in, an autistic user will struggle to process all of it at once.
At the bare minimum, it’s best to use frequent paragraph breaks to divide the text into more easily processable chunks. Better still, break your information down into lists, bullet points, blockquotes or callouts.
Use images to illustrate or explain your points – but don’t forget to account for colour sensitivity with your imagery too, and to provide descriptive alt text in case your image can’t be displayed.
In terms of typography, rely on highly readable sans-serif fonts, with line spacing of at least 1.15, and adequate spacing between paragraphs.
• Break large amounts of text into small chunks that can be processed easily.
• Use different formats of text.
• Use highly readable fonts with appropriate line and paragraph spacing.
Many of the solutions offered here will seem either like common sense or will already be part of your best accessibility practices. When designing for an autistic audience, it’s helpful to know how and why these practices can enhance online experiences so greatly. Digital spaces, by nature, make autistic people feel included in a world that often be confusing and hostile toward them. It’s only right that we do what we can to make these spaces as inclusive and welcoming as we possibly can.
“In Real Life, Everything Feels so Different”: Autistic, Embodied Perspectives on Online Sociality
National Autistic Society: How to talk and write about autism
Scope: Designing for people on the autism spectrum
Autism-aware application design: Tips for software testers
Living Autism: Autism Friendly Digital World
UX Matters: Usability Testing with People on the Autism Spectrum: What to Expect
Leeds Autism AIM: Guide to making information accessible for neurodivergent people
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