Invisible illness
Invisible illness
Introduction
The examples below aren't exhaustive but show some common experiences that may affect how people use apps and services.
Stress and anxiety
Stress and anxiety disorders are a group of related conditions that can cause both psychological and physical symptoms. Symptoms can include feeling restless or worried
Behavioural effects include procrastination, avoidance and social withdrawal.
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a condition that affects around one in every 100 people in the UK. When someone has epilepsy, it means they tend to have epileptic seizures
Triggers aren't the same for everyone, but common triggers include temperature, light, stress, tiredness, flicker and computer screens.
Myalgic Encephalopathy/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Myalgic Encephalopathy/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) causes persistent fatigue (extreme tiredness) that affects day to day living and isn’t relieved by sleep or rest
The main symptoms of ME/CFS are persistent mental and physical fatigue, although there are other common symptoms including muscular and joint pain, severe headaches, poor short-term memory and concentration, difficulty organising thoughts and problems finding the right words.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia, also called Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS), is a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body.
As well as widespread pain, people with FMS can also experience increased sensitivity to pain, extreme tiredness, muscle stiffness, difficulty sleeping, problems with mental processes (known as "fibro-fog") such as memory and concentration, headaches and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Making things accessible
In addressing some of the design issues below, we make it easier for everyone to use our apps. Thinking about the
Anxiety and stress-free design
Some things we include in apps increase anxiety and, for some people, the impact can be significant.
Consider:
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Error messages should explain how to fix the problem and not blame the user.
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Motion/animation or information should only appear when the user expects it. -
Popups that disappear too quickly before they can be read, like
toasts . -
Use simple
layouts as complicated, dense layouts can overload users with information.
References
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