JournalMate

Overview

As part of my MSc in UX Design, I conducted a year-long research and design project to address a recurring issue experienced by neurodiverse students. Academic reading platforms are cognitively overwhelming and exclusionary. For students with ADHD in particular, the act of reading journal articles which is essential for higher education, is often marked by difficulty concentrating, visual overload, and poor comprehension due to inaccessible digital experiences.

Challenge
How might we reduce cognitive load and increase reading comprehension for students with ADHD in digital academic contexts, using principles of Universal Design?

Research

Approach: Mixed methods, grounded in User-Centred Design (UCD)

Literature Review

I explored:

• ADHD’s cognitive impacts on executive function
• Barriers in e-reading UX
• Assistive tech (e.g., screen readers, overlays, e-ink)
• Universal Design and inclusive UX
• Customisation theory (as distinct from personalisation)

This review laid a theoretical foundation that prioritised flexibility, consistency, and clarity as design goals.

User Survey (n=35)

The purpose of the survey was to validate the prevalence of reading challenges in academic environments.

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Highlights:

• 87% reported difficulty focusing on digital academic texts
• 74% experienced fatigue or frustration while reading
• Majority manually reformatted PDFs (changing line spacing, fonts)

Semi-Structured Interviews (n=8)

Using affinity mapping and thematic analysis via ATLAS.ti, I extracted 5 recurring themes:

• Overwhelm from dense, cluttered content
• Lack of control over presentation
• Disengagement due to anxiety or fear of failure
• DIY coping strategies (printing, highlighting, audio conversion)
• Desire for a reading tool that feels empowering, not patronising

SME Interviews

I interviewed professionals from:

• ADHD Ireland
• A cognitive psychologist
• A university assistive tech officer

This added clinical and institutional perspectives, particularly the value of scaffolding and executive function supports in digital design.

Problem Definition

“I’m not lazy. My brain just doesn’t hold on to things unless they’re in the right format.” — Interviewee P5

Problem Statement

Students with ADHD often find academic reading inaccessible due to rigid formats, visual clutter, and lack of interaction design that supports focus and comprehension. There is a gap in tools that offer cognitive flexibility and inclusive UX patterns.

Persona Development

Two detailed personas were created to reflect varied neurodiverse experiences:

• Aisling, a recently diagnosed arts student struggling with dense readings and a sense of academic imposter syndrome
• Conor, a STEM postgraduate who prefers visual learning but is overwhelmed by cluttered digital journal interfaces

Their goals, frustrations, and behaviours were validated with direct interview data and shaped the feature roadmap.

Design Process & Iterations

I followed a modified Double Diamond model with iterative loops at each prototyping stage. My methodology was rooted in User-Centred Design (UCD), guided by the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and WCAG 2.1 principles.

Ideation & Feature Prioritisation

Key Features Prioritised (MoSCoW Analysis):

• Must-Have: font/size/spacing controls, dark mode, article summaries, note-taking
• Should-Have: read-aloud, citation tool, bionic reading (planned)
• Could-Have: tagging system, voice navigation
• Won’t-Have (for MVP): full text-to-speech integration, mobile app

Early Concepts:

• Sidebar with fixed and collapsible controls
• Summary boxes between article sections
• Customisation overlay vs. persistent toolbar (tested both in iteration)

Low-Fidelity Wireframes

Initial designs were grayscale and structure-focused. These wireframes explored:

• Tool placement (inline, overlay, sidebar)
• Read flow (vertical vs horizontal navigation)
• How summaries and notes would coexist with dense academic text

Feedback:

• Users preferred clear, visible controls over dropdown menus
• “Too much white space” - risk of users zoning out
• Note icon was overlooked entirely

Changes Made:

• Moved notes to the persistent left-hand panel
• Justified text for better readability
• Expanded spacing options beyond three levels

Mid-Fidelity Prototypes

Added more refined interactions and brand-neutral colour choices. Conducted usability walkthroughs.

Improvements:

• Added micro interactions to signal active controls
• Visual summaries enclosed in subtle colour blocks for scanning
• Replaced toggle sliders with stepped selections (clearer for neurodiverse users)

High-Fidelity Prototype

Built in Figma, the final version was tested in a controlled A/B setup:

• Standard version (mimics JSTOR/other academic journal platforms)
• Customised version (JournalMate interface)

Key Features:

• Customisation Toolbar
• Section Summaries
• Integrated Note-Taking Panel
• Citation Copier
• Minimal, Distraction-Free Interface
• Consistent Information Architecture
• Accessibility-first Design

Universal Design in Practice

I mapped my design decisions directly to Universal Design principles:

1. Equitable Use

The design of JournalMate places students with ADHD at the core of the design process but it is accessible to all students through the customisation options

2. Flexibility in Use

Currently, if students want to customise the appearance of a journal article, they must copy the article, paste it into a document (e.g. Word) which usually creates formatting issues. They can then change the font size, line spacing and letter spacing and print the document. JournalMate allows students to choose their individual preferences and print directly from the site within seconds. This frees up more time for the student to focus on their research. The user journey was reduced by 50% and the chance of a student with ADHD getting distracted also decreased.

3. Simple & Intuitive Use

The design of JournalMate took inspiration from websites that students are comfortable and familiar with using. Inspiration was taken from Google Drive for the overall design and note-taking tools such as Microsoft OneNote and Notion for the navigation and toolbar layout.

A number of students mentioned they regularly used a Kindle to read for pleasure. It was important to look at the functionality and UI of the Kindle as a reference point.

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4. Perceptible Information

The clear navigation structure of JournalMate allows for effective communication of necessary information. The clutter-free design means the focus is always on the article but the custom settings are available in the side navigation bar, which is visible to students at all times.

The summary feature within each article reiterates the key points and important findings from the previous section, which helps students with ADHD, who may struggle with memory retention and recall. To clearly distinguish between the article text, the summaries are contained within a blue rectangle to help the user quickly find them throughout the article.

5. Tolerance for Error

The citation copier allows students to cite and reference journal articles correctly, leaving little room for error. Referencing was mentioned by participants during the interviews as a source of stress and frustration as they often forgot how to reference correctly.

6. Low Physical Effort

The three-tier layout of the left menu, the middle submenu and the main body of the article, guide the user and can be used efficiently with minimal effort. A clutter-free design is maintained to avoid information overload for users, by giving them too many options at once.

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Usability Testing

Quantitative Insights

I conducted A/B usability testing with 10 participants using the USE Questionnaire (Usefulness, Ease of Use, Ease of Learning, Satisfaction). Each participant tested both versions of JournalMate (Standard vs Customisable), with the order alternated to eliminate bias.

Result of Metrics (Customised vs. Standard)  ‍

• Usefulness - Significantly higher (p = 0.0002)
• Ease of Use - Significantly higher (p = 0.003)  
• Ease of Learning - Significantly higher (p = 0.039)  
• Satisfaction - Significantly higher (p = 0.001)  

Key Insight:

The customisable prototype significantly outperformed the standard version across all dimensions. Participants found it more intuitive, empowering, and efficient -supporting the hypothesis that customisation reduces cognitive load.

Qualitative Insights

After each test, participants answered open-ended questions. All 10 preferred the customisable version, citing:

• Increased control over reading environment
• Cleaner layout that reduced distractions
• Helpful summaries and note-taking tools

Frequently Praised Features

• Font and line spacing adjustment
• Summaries between sections
• Note-taking sidebar
• Simple, uncluttered UI

Minor Critiques

• Some users suggested brighter colours, though others felt minimalism helped reduce distractions.
• Bionic reading was requested by several participants; this is planned for future versions.

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