As awareness of neurodiversity grows in mainstream culture, more and more adults are seeking out information about autism, ADHD, and more every day. The process for pursuing a diagnosis for one of the more common neurodivergence, however, ADHD, leaves much to be desired. This project aims to employ inclusive design practices to meet the real needs of adults with ADHD. 

Role:

UX Designer, User Researcher

Duration:

3 months

Tools:

Figma

Skills:

UX design, user research

Defining the problem/User research

I assumed I would be redesigning the ADHD assessment itself, but the therapist I interviewed informed me that her clients were highly motivated once in the assessment process. Her clients' biggest pain point was finding good, non-stigmatizing information about ADHD. 

This was confirmed in my user interviews, all of whom said their diagnosis felt superficial and left them with little more than a ticket to medication. One interviewee also wisely said, that they wouldn't trust any ADHD source that didn't include ADHD voices.

After receiving this information from my user research, I realized my initial assumption was wrong. What my users really needed was a resource hub for trustworthy, non-stigmatizing information about ADHD from other ADHDers.

Key Takeaways

• The biggest pain point for ADHD adults is accessing non-stigmatizing information about ADHD.

• An ADHD resource needs to include content from other adults with ADHD.

Design Process

Crowd Sourcing

To make sure I was featuring content from ADHDers, I reached out to neurodivergent LinkedIn groups, asking if any ADHD adults would mind sharing resources that have been helpful to them. The resources they shared with me became the content of the website.

Information Architecture

I compiled the resources shared with me by the ADHDers who responded into three main categories: an onboarding quiz, information about ADHD, finding professional support, and strategies for self-directed support. 

Pivot: Onboarding Quiz

User testing revealed that my ADHD quiz wasn't landing well with users. It was short, vague, and provided even vaguer results. "If an online quiz told me definitively that I did or didn't have ADHD," said one tester, "I wouldn't trust it." Taking that feedback, I found a new quiz that checked for ADHD traits, and changed the results page to reflect where the user scored most highly rather than giving them an "answer."

Addressing Jobs to be Done

The following task flows address the four Jobs to be Done my users have when visiting Hyperconnected.

• To see if they have ADHD

• To learn about ADHD

• To find resources for self-directed support

• To find professional support

Do I have ADHD?

Many first-time visitors to Hyperconnected might be curious to see if they have ADHD and not know where to start. This onboarding quiz aims to meet that need by checking how users score on common ADHD traits.

What is ADHD?

Even for people who are diagnosed with ADHD, it can be hard to find a useful definition of what ADHD is. For this info section of Hyperconnected I asked ADHDers what some of the most common questions they had about ADHD were, and compiled articles that addressed them.

How do I support my own ADHD brain?

A common thread ADHD adults brought up during interviews was that the medical profession is notorious for providing subpar support for ADHDers. It can take years to get an appointment for an assessment, and even when you get it, your clinician might have heavily stigmatized views on neurodiversity. With that in mind, this section of Hyperconnected aims to provide support ADHDers can access outside of the medical system.

All my interviewees expressed the desire for genuinely helpful professional support. This section of Hyperconnected compiles a list of providers that were approved by ADHDers.