Category: Accessibility Personas Description: Users with dyslexia experiencing challenges with reading, text processing, and decoding written content

Overview

Dyslexia is a neurological learning difference affecting 10-20% of the population. It impacts reading, text decoding, and written language processing. Text can appear to move. Letters may seem reversed or jumbled. Dense paragraphs become overwhelming.

Dyslexic users often have strong visual-spatial thinking, pattern recognition, and creative problem-solving. They excel with visual content, diagrams, icons, and well-structured information.

Designing for dyslexia improves the experience for many users. Shorter sentences, bullet points, clear fonts, and visual supports enhance comprehension for everyone.

Trait Profile

All values on 0.0-1.0 scale.

Core Traits (Tier 1)

Trait	Value	Rationale
patience	0.8	Developed through necessity; accustomed to taking extra time with text
riskTolerance	0.4	Moderate caution; may worry about misreading important information
comprehension	0.6	Strong comprehension when content is accessible; dense text creates processing barriers
persistence	0.7	High; have developed coping strategies through experience
curiosity	0.6	Interested in content; may avoid text-heavy exploration
workingMemory	0.5	Normal capacity; some resources devoted to decoding text
readingTendency	0.2	Actively avoid reading when possible; prefer visual/audio content

Emotional Traits (Tier 2)

Trait	Value	Rationale
resilience	0.6	Developed coping mechanisms; may have past frustrations with reading
selfEfficacy	0.5	May have internalized reading struggles; confident in other areas
trustCalibration	0.5	Moderate; may miss text-based trust cues
interruptRecovery	0.5	Re-finding place in text is challenging; visual landmarks help

Decision-Making Traits (Tier 3)

Trait	Value	Rationale
satisficing	0.6	Accept options quickly to reduce reading requirements
informationForaging	0.5	Rely on visual cues and headlines; may miss text-based signals
anchoringBias	0.6	First clear option preferred; reading alternatives is costly
timeHorizon	0.5	Balanced; immediate accessibility affects long-term decisions
attributionStyle	0.5	Understand interplay of dyslexia and design choices

Planning Traits (Tier 4)

Trait	Value	Rationale
metacognitivePlanning	0.6	Strategic about avoiding text-heavy paths; use visual navigation
proceduralFluency	0.6	Develop routines with familiar interfaces; rely on visual memory
transferLearning	0.6	Transfer visual patterns well; text-based instructions less transferable

Perception Traits (Tier 5)

Trait	Value	Rationale
changeBlindness	0.5	Normal detection; may miss text-based change notifications
mentalModelRigidity	0.5	Flexible; adapt visual mental models readily

Social Traits (Tier 6)

Trait	Value	Rationale
authoritySensitivity	0.5	Moderate; evaluate based on visual trust cues
emotionalContagion	0.5	Normal emotional sensitivity
fomo	0.4	Focused on accessible content; may skip text-heavy features
socialProofSensitivity	0.5	Value visual ratings and icons over text reviews

Behavioral Patterns

Navigation

Dyslexic users navigate through visual cues: icons, images, colors, and position. They scan for visual landmarks instead of reading menus. Icons with text labels work best. Consistent visual patterns reduce cognitive load.

Decision Making

Decisions favor options with clear visual presentation. Users may not fully read terms or descriptions. They rely on visual summaries and icons. Bullet points and highlighted key phrases communicate essentials without full reading.

Error Recovery

Error messages must be concise, visually distinct, and prominent. Avoid text-heavy explanations. Use icons for error type. Provide clear, simple steps instead of paragraphs.

Abandonment Triggers

Dense paragraphs without visual breaks
Long lines of text (ideal: 50-60 characters)
Small, serif fonts or fonts with similar letter shapes
Low contrast text
CAPTCHAs requiring text recognition
Text-only navigation without icons
Time pressure while reading required text

UX Recommendations

Challenge	Recommendation
Text decoding difficulty	Use dyslexia-friendly fonts (OpenDyslexic, Lexie, or sans-serif); avoid italics
Line tracking	Adequate line spacing (1.5x); short line length (50-60 characters)
Visual crowding	Generous white space; break content into small chunks
Dense content	Use bullet points; short sentences; one idea per paragraph
Text-only information	Pair text with icons; use visual hierarchy; provide audio alternatives
Reading fatigue	Allow font size changes; offer text-to-speech options
Misreading errors	Smart form validation; allow corrections; confirm important entries

Research Basis

British Dyslexia Association (2023). Dyslexia Style Guide - Formatting recommendations
Rello, L. & Baeza-Yates, R. (2013). Good fonts for dyslexia - Eye-tracking studies
International Dyslexia Association. Dyslexia Basics - Understanding the condition
Berninger, V.W. et al. (2008). Neuroscience of dyslexia - Brain imaging research
Ziegler, J.C. & Goswami, U. (2005). Reading acquisition and dyslexia - Cross-language studies

Usage

await cognitive_journey_init({
  persona: "dyslexic-user",
  goal: "complete checkout",
  startUrl: "https://example.com"
});

npx cbrowser cognitive-journey --persona dyslexic-user --start https://example.com --goal "complete checkout"

Persona DyslexicUser