Neuroinclusive design, the real competitive edge for 2026

App Your Game’s Yusuf Abrahams says neuroinclusive design is the real competitive edge for 2026 (and after) (Image supplied)

Digital product design is at a crossroads. While South African tech teams trip over themselves to launch the next half-baked AI feature, a quieter shift is happening. It delivers more value to real people and can create actual results. It’s called neuroinclusive design.

This is not some dusty accessibility checklist you tick off to avoid a lawsuit. It is not "design for everyone" as a fuzzy, feel-good slogan.

It is the practical discipline of designing digital products that actually work when your attention is all over the place, your memory is fried, your language is literal, or your anxiety is through the roof. In our local context, it is baseline UX for real-world cognitive and environmental conditions.

Personal reality

For years, I thought I was the problem. Everyone else breezed through “simple” interfaces. I got lost in a maze of options, walls of text, and steps that assumed I’d remember what happened three screens back. I’d push through anyway, just to see what was hiding behind that Apply Now button.

Then I got diagnosed with ADHD at 38. The diagnosis didn't just explain my own experience; it exposed a bigger design flaw.

We keep designing for a person that doesn't exist. The always-focused, always-calm, always-linear "ideal" persona. Most people are not that archetype.

In South Africa, almost nobody is.

One-in-five is not an edge case

Estimates put neurodivergent people at roughly one in five, depending on access to diagnosis. In South Africa, where healthcare access is uneven, that number is likely higher than we realise. This is not an "edge case." This is OUR market.

Even if someone is neurotypical, they experience neurodivergent conditions every single day. Think about the average South African user experience.

You are trying to top up your electricity on an app while standing in a noisy, cramped taxi. You are rushing to complete a bank transfer and you have 2% battery, a shaky 3G signal, and a crying child. High-stakes decisions with real consequences.

Yet, many local interfaces are still optimised for someone sitting in a quiet office with a strong fibre connection and a double-shot latte. That is a fairy tale.

High cost of "busy" design

Bad design is everywhere. Government portals demand 15 fields when three would do. Retail apps with a dozen banners screaming for attention. Onboarding flows that treat a dropped signal like it’s your fault.

These choices drive abandonment. They lead to flooded call centres and brand distrust. If a person feels "stupid" or overwhelmed while trying to buy data or pay a bill, they will simply stop using the service.

Designing for the real South Africa

Neuroinclusive design isn’t about adding features. It’s about removing friction and being brutally honest about how brains work under pressure. Clarity beats aesthetics. Every time.

Business case for clarity

Some might argue that this is "dumbing down" the platform. Clear design is "levelling up" the experience.

The person with Dyslexia benefits from high-contrast text and clear fonts. So does the person trying to read a screen in the bright midday sun at a Rea Vaya bus stop.

The person with ADHD benefits from a clear "Next Step" button. So does the stressed entrepreneur trying to manage their taxes between meetings.

Design for the most overloaded, distracted user, and everyone wins. Acquisition costs drop because your platform finally makes sense. Loyalty goes up because nobody needs a PhD to find the logout button.

Moving beyond the checklist

Neuroinclusive design means rethinking “accessibility”. It’s not just screen readers or captions. Those matter, but they’re just one piece. We need to design for the brain’s processing power.

Stop assuming users are at their best. Assume they’re tired. Distracted. Stressed about money or safety. If your platform works for someone at their worst, it’ll work for everyone else.

Call for radical clarity

As we head into 2026, the future of South African platforms isn’t in more algorithms or flashier animations. It’s in radical clarity – digital spaces where people feel capable, not confused.

Respect the limits of real brains. Start with your highest-traffic flow. Count the fields, decisions and assumptions. Then cut half of them.

Stop punishing people for not thinking in straight lines. Reduce cognitive load. Build platforms that respect human dignity. Stop chasing “ideal” personas and start respecting real people.

When you design for the one-in-five, you design for everyone.