Designing for People with ADHD

If you’re trying to create a space where someone with ADHD will feel comfortable:

• Make sure that workspaces, and home offices, for example, are as distraction-free as possible. That means, only work-related items on a dedicated work surface, a properly adjusted thermostat (so there’s no reason to pop up and fiddle with it), blinds adjusted to eliminate glare, etc.—all organized before a work session gets underway. Task lighting illuminating only what is being worked on can also boost concentration on the task at hand. Any other areas where it is best if a task proceeds in a straightforward way, such as a kitchen, can also benefit from this no/low distraction approach to design, carefully organized/curated spaces.
• Storage bins and baskets need to hide objects from view, or they become distractions.
• Carefully manage visual complexity, keeping it moderate to low-moderate, as discussed in this article, particularly in areas where it is likely the person with ADHD will need to focus.
• People with ADHD perform best cognitively in cooler coloured light.
• White noise, described in this article, seems to support concentration by people with ADHD.
• Build in opportunities to burn off energy. People with ADHD benefit from being able to fidget or move (for example, via activity enabling seats, sit-stand desks) while they think.  Being able to exercise, to take walks, such as up and down staircases, can help burn off excess energy.
• Children with ADHD benefit from having been in green environments, it supports their ability to concentrate and do other mental work.