👥 Learner Personas

NDS provides learner personas to help design teams understand real user characteristics and needs. These personas represent common traits and challenges faced by neurodiverse learners.

Alex

Attribute	Description
Pronouns	they/them
Statement	"I was once told this world is not made for people like me"
Age	19
Location	Dunedin, lives with parents
Education	Average NCEA grades
Neurodiversity	Dyspraxia
Employment	Unemployed
Other	Talented storyteller, copes with a physical disability, experienced prejudice in school

Design Considerations for Alex

Large click targets for motor coordination difficulties
Keyboard navigation support
Extended time for tasks
Clear, step-by-step instructions
Error tolerance with easy undo options

Sarah

Attribute	Description
Pronouns	she/her
Statement	"I need to kickstart my career again"
Age	27
Location	Wellington, lives with husband
Education	Average to high NCEA grades
Neurodiversity	Typical neurotype
Employment	Unemployed
Other	Primary caregiver for disabled son for six years, regular visiting nurse, growing support network

Design Considerations for Sarah

Flexible timing (caregiver responsibilities)
Mobile-friendly design (on-the-go access)
Progress saving for interrupted sessions
Clear, jargon-free language
Supportive, encouraging tone

Māia

Attribute	Description
Pronouns	she/her
Statement	"I can do this, I just need time"
Age	21
Location	Wellington, single parent
Education	Low to average NCEA grades
Neurodiversity	Dyslexia, ADHD, Irlen Syndrome
Employment	Housekeeping and Hospitality
Other	Strong social bonds with extended whānau, active within iwi, struggles to "get ahead in life"

Design Considerations for Māia

Clear typography with adequate spacing
Dark mode for Irlen Syndrome
Chunked content for ADHD users
Audio alternatives for reading
Extended time options
Reduced visual clutter

James

Attribute	Description
Pronouns	he/him
Statement	"Just tell me what to do and I'll..."
Age	33
Location	Tauranga, lives on lifestyle block
Education	Level 5 NZQA, Digital Media and Design
Neurodiversity	Dyslexia, ADHD
Employment	Self-employed
Other	Confident, actively social, talented illustrator. Did well in art and design but struggled in other subjects

Design Considerations for James

Visual-first content (images, diagrams)
Clear, direct instructions
Progress indicators
Reduced distractions
Creative, engaging interfaces
Quick task completion options

Chen

Attribute	Description
Pronouns	he/him
Statement	"I must become qualified to get a good job..."
Age	52
Location	Auckland, living in student accommodation
Education	Above-average equivalent qualifications
Neurodiversity	Typical neurotype
Employment	None (paid for fees)
Other	Wants to gain residency, family to join later

Design Considerations for Chen

Multilingual support
Clear navigation structure
Comprehensive help documentation
Progress tracking
Professional, respectful tone
Cultural sensitivity

Using Personas in Design

Step 1: Empathize

Review personas before design sessions. Consider how each persona would interact with your design.

Step 2: Identify Barriers

For each design decision, ask: "Would Alex be able to use this?" "Would Māia find this readable?"

Step 3: Prioritize

Focus on changes that benefit multiple personas. For example, clear typography helps Alex, Māia, and James.

Step 4: Test

Include neurodiverse users in testing. Personas are guides, not replacements for real user research.

Persona Quick Reference

Need	Alex	Sarah	Māia	James	Chen
Large targets	✅
Flexible timing		✅	✅		✅
Clear typography			✅	✅	✅
Dark mode			✅
Visual content				✅
Multilingual					✅
Progress saving		✅	✅	✅	✅