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Adaptive UI, the Almanac way

Same platform.
Same record.
Different visual treatment for every condition.

Evidence-based design recommendations per persona. Sources cited. Built into the Almanac as an adaptive layer.

Most apps treat every user the same. The Almanac doesn't. The colour, layout, font and pace adapt to who you are and what you're carrying.

For ADHD

One task. One screen. One CTA.

Calm palette. No motion. Chunked content.

#F4F6F8
#E8EEF2
#5B8DB8
#88A982
Built for
  • One focal task per view
  • 3-5 chunked items max
  • 16-18px body, 1.5-1.6 line height
  • 60-70 char line max
  • Sticky progress indicators
Never
  • Auto-rotating carousels
  • Looping animations or autoplay
  • Infinite scroll
  • 3+ CTAs per view
  • Loud reds or neons
Type sample
Three things this morning. Pick one. Timer starts when you say go.
Sources: Springer, Towards Inclusive Guidelines for Web Design for Adults with ADHD; GOV.UK Dos and don'ts; Amnet, Designing for ADHD.
For autistic adults

Predictable. Low arousal. Literal language.

User controls vivid/calm toggle. Same layout every page.

#F5F1E8
#C9D8E0
#B8C9B0
#FAF6EE
Built for
  • Strict layout consistency across pages
  • Vivid / calm theme toggle
  • Plain literal language, no idioms
  • Explicit state changes (don't rely on hover)
  • Generous line height 1.6
Never
  • High-saturation yellows or neons
  • Sudden modals or pop-ups
  • Autoplay sound or surprise transitions
  • Ambiguous icons without labels
  • Sensory-overload imagery
Type sample
Today is Tuesday. The next thing is your morning check-in. It will take about 2 minutes.
Sources: AASPIRE Web Accessibility Guidelines (Raymaker et al., Autism in Adulthood, 2019); National Autistic Society; Scope.
For dyslexia

Cream not white. Sans not serif. Short lines.

British Dyslexia Association style spec.

#FAF6E8
#F2EBD8
#1F1F1F
#FFFBE6
Built for
  • Cream backgrounds, never pure white
  • Dark grey #1F1F1F text, not pure black
  • 60-70 char line max
  • Inter-letter spacing ~35% of letter width
  • Atkinson Hyperlegible / Lexie Readable / Open Dyslexic
Never
  • Italics, all-caps body, justified text
  • Two-column flowing text
  • Red/green colour pairings
  • Pure white background or pure black text
  • Decorative serif faces
Type sample
Welcome back. Take your time. The text on this page can be made larger if you need.
Source: British Dyslexia Association Style Guide 2023.
For PTSD

Cool tones. Predictable. Always an exit.

Trauma-informed design. Avoid alarm-system colours.

#A8B89E
#B8CCD8
#D4C8B8
#FAF6EE
Built for
  • Persistent "leave quickly" / back-out button
  • Content warnings before sensitive material
  • User-controllable pacing, no timeouts
  • Soft-edged components, generous padding
  • Calm, second-person, plain language
Never
  • Sudden modals, loud autoplay media
  • Flash, strobe, jarring transitions
  • Countdown timers
  • Imperative copy ("WARNING", "YOU MUST")
  • Fear-based or jagged abstract imagery
Type sample
You're safe here. I'm not going anywhere. Tell me how the night was, when you're ready.
Sources: GSA 10x Trauma-informed design; UX Content Collective; PMC scoping review of trauma-informed design principles.
For depression

Warm but not stimulating. Tiny wins visible.

Avoid grey-dominant UIs. No empty-state shaming.

#E8D5C0
#88A982
#6B9BA8
#FAF6EE
Built for
  • One decision per screen
  • Visible small wins / progress
  • Friction-free navigation, no dead ends
  • Affirming, non-judgemental copy
  • Soft dark grey #2A2A2A, not pure black
Never
  • All-grey or desaturated UIs
  • Walls of harsh black-on-white
  • Streak gamification that punishes breaks
  • Red error states, demanding tone
  • Dense forms
Type sample
You showed up. That counts. Want to log one thing today, or just sit here a bit?
Sources: Manchester Color Wheel (Carruthers, BMC Med Res Methodol); UXmatters Designing for Mental Health; Fuzzy Math.
For anxiety

Cool blues. No urgency. Always show what's next.

Calm CTAs. Auto-save. No countdowns.

#B8CCD8
#C9D8E0
#A8B89E
#FAF6EE
Built for
  • "What happens next" always visible
  • Confirm before irreversible actions
  • Auto-save progress
  • Calm CTAs ("when you're ready", not "start now")
  • Allow notification batching
Never
  • Red accent colours
  • Surprise pop-ups, urgent tones
  • Countdown timers
  • Aggressive notification badges
  • Scarcity patterns ("X people viewing")
Type sample
No rush. When you're ready, I'm here. Nothing on this page will move on its own.
Sources: Elliot, Color and Psychological Functioning (2015 review); UXmatters; Fuzzy Math.
For MS / brain fog / fatigue

Big touch targets. Auto-save. Resume where you stopped.

Short sessions assumed. Voice input over typing.

#FAF8F4
#1F2937
#B35D38
#FFFBE6
Built for
  • Save state every interaction
  • Resume where you left off, days later
  • Touch targets 44px+
  • Voice input first; typing optional
  • Plain-language summaries / TL;DR
Never
  • Long forms without save
  • Multi-step wizards without backtrack
  • Auto-logout / session timeouts
  • Hover-only interactions
  • Dense tables, low-contrast greys
Type sample
Just one number today. Fatigue. One to ten.
Sources: MS Society UK; MS Trust; WCAG 2.2 contrast guidance. (No MS-specific UI standard exists; recommendations extrapolate from cognitive guidelines.)
Accessibility baseline

WCAG 2.2 AA minimum. AAA where possible.

Vision-impaired and screen-reader friendly across the platform.

#FFFFFF
#000000
#FFE600
#0A2540
Built for
  • Contrast 4.5:1 body, 3:1 large text + UI
  • True high-contrast theme on demand
  • Resizable to 200% (WCAG 1.4.4)
  • Visible focus, 24x24px hit targets (SC 2.5.8)
  • Atkinson Hyperlegible default
Never
  • Text in images
  • Convey meaning by colour alone
  • Tiny fixed-pixel font
  • Decorative animations that obscure focus
  • Inaccessible PDFs as primary content
Type sample
Everything on this page can be made larger, read aloud, or shown in high contrast.
Sources: WCAG 2.2 (W3C); Atkinson Hyperlegible (Braille Institute).
For dementia / post-stroke / aphasia

One idea per screen. One typeface. Plain language.

High contrast. Linear flow. No timeouts. Persistent home.

#FFFBE6
#1A1D1E
#FAF6EE
#B35D38
Built for
  • One idea per screen
  • Linear flow with sub-headings
  • Plain English. Short sentences.
  • Pair text with supportive imagery
  • Persistent home / back. No timeouts.
Never
  • Multiple typefaces
  • Italics, all-caps body
  • Idioms, metaphors, jargon
  • Hidden navigation (hamburger only)
  • Auto-advance, surprise transitions
Type sample
Hello. The next thing is your morning check-in. Press the big button below.
Sources: Alzheimer's Society; AbilityNet Designing for Dementia; Stroke Association Accessible Information Guidelines.
Cross-cutting principles

The rules that every persona inherits.

  1. User override always wins. Detected persona sets defaults; user toggles persist.
  2. Honour OS signals: prefers-reduced-motion, prefers-contrast, prefers-color-scheme, font scaling.
  3. One typeface family across all profiles. Atkinson Hyperlegible is the strongest single-choice baseline.
  4. Never rely on colour alone for any state. Every persona, mandatory.
  5. Co-design with lived experience. Specs above are starting points, not final answers. Validate with real users from each group.
The Almanac, adaptive UI guide.
Internal reference. Sources cited per condition. Co-design required before launch.