Accessibility-First Redesign of an Education App: Lessons and Outcomes

Design · 7 min read

LearnLoop, an early-stage education app, had high dropout rates among students with reading and attention challenges. Instead of tacking on accessibility later, the team rethought core UI patterns: typography scale, color contrast, navigation simplicity, and multimodal content presentation. They partnered with special educators and ran participatory design sessions with learners who had dyslexia and ADHD.

Design changes included a larger baseline type scale, optional simplified layouts that hide non-essential chrome, dyslexia-friendly fonts, and integrated audio narration with synchronized highlighting. The navigation was flattened to reduce deep hierarchies and session timers were redesigned as gentle nudges rather than hard cutoffs. Importantly, accessibility options were surfaced during onboarding as defaults for learners who opted in, avoiding hidden settings.

Post-redesign data showed broader engagement: session length for students with reading challenges increased 38%, course completion rose 24% in the targeted cohort, and teacher satisfaction improved due to easier accommodations. The project highlights that accessibility-first design often benefits all users and that inclusive design requires collaboration with actual users, not just automated checks. The final recommendation: bake accessibility into design decisions early, test with representative learners, and measure outcomes across segments.