The Personas

Meet the CollectivAlly personas

Our personas are informed by hundreds of research sessions with disabled and neurodivergent people. Each one reflects real behaviours, real frustrations, and real ways of navigating the digital world.

Aisha
Blind, Screen Reader User
A blind screen reader user who navigates by keyboard and relies on clear structure, labelled controls, headings and accurate announcements.
Blind, Screen Reader User
Aisha
Aisha is in her early 30s and works in policy. She has no functional vision and navigates the digital world using a screen reader. She is confident, efficient and independent.
Aisha values clarity and efficiency. When structure works, she flies through tasks.
Devices and technology
Windows laptop with JAWS, iPhone with VoiceOver, keyboard-only navigation. Uses heading shortcuts and landmarks to move quickly.
Goals
To move through content efficiently, to understand page structure immediately, to complete tasks independently, to trust that content has been built properly.
Frustrations
Poor heading hierarchy, buttons labelled "Click here", content that is visually present but not announced, focus traps in modal windows, error messages that are not read out.
Daniel
Low Vision and Contrast User
A low vision user with reduced colour perception who relies on zoom, high contrast and scalable layouts to read and interact comfortably without strain.
Low Vision and Contrast User
Daniel
Daniel is 52 and works in finance. His vision has deteriorated over time due to a degenerative eye condition. He can see content but needs zoom and high contrast to read comfortably.
Daniel is methodical and patient. Poor layout makes him tired quickly.
Devices and technology
Browser zoom set between 200-400%, high contrast mode, larger system fonts, occasionally uses screen magnifier.
Goals
To read comfortably without strain, to avoid horizontal scrolling, to clearly distinguish content, to complete tasks without fatigue.
Frustrations
Text breaking at high zoom, poor colour contrast, information conveyed only through colour, fixed layouts that do not reflow.
Sofia
Deaf or Hard of Hearing User
A profoundly Deaf BSL-first user who relies on captions, transcripts and clear visual alternatives to access information independently.
Deaf or Hard of Hearing User
Sofia
Sofia is in her late 20s and works in marketing. She is profoundly deaf and communicates primarily through written English and BSL.
Sofia values independence and clarity. Accessibility gives her equal access, not special treatment.
Devices and technology
Smartphone with captions always enabled, uses transcripts instead of audio, video relay services, messaging apps preferred over phone calls.
Goals
To access information without relying on sound, to trust captions are accurate, to avoid missing important instructions.
Frustrations
Videos without captions, audio-only alerts, customer support that relies on phone calls, poor auto-generated subtitles.
Marcus
Voice Recognition User
A voice control user with limited hand control who relies on clearly labelled interactive elements to navigate and complete tasks.
Voice Recognition User
Marcus
Marcus is in his early 40s and has a spinal condition affecting hand control. He dictates and navigates using voice recognition software.
Marcus is calm and pragmatic. Clear labelling makes all the difference.
Devices and technology
Windows Voice Access, Dragon NaturallySpeaking, headset microphone, limited keyboard use.
Goals
To avoid physical strain, to navigate quickly using voice, to complete forms without exhaustion.
Frustrations
Multiple buttons with identical labels, drag-and-drop only interactions, small interactive areas, time-limited tasks.
Hannah
Keyboard-Only User
A keyboard-only user who relies on logical focus order, visible focus states and full operability without a mouse.
Keyboard-Only User
Hannah
Hannah is 29 and analytical. She cannot use a mouse and navigates exclusively with a keyboard.
Hannah is efficient and sharp. When focus disappears, she notices immediately.
Devices and technology
Laptop, external ergonomic keyboard, uses tab, shift-tab, arrow keys.
Goals
To move quickly through journeys, to avoid getting stuck, to rely entirely on keyboard access.
Frustrations
Missing focus states, illogical tab order, hover-only menus, focus traps.
Lewis
Cognitive Processing and Literacy
A dyslexic user with ADHD who relies on plain English, clear structure and reduced cognitive load to understand and complete tasks confidently.
Cognitive Processing and Literacy
Lewis
Lewis is creative, entrepreneurial and dyslexic with ADHD. He processes information best when it is clear and structured. Lewis thrives when information is clear and calm.
Devices and technology
Smartphone, text-to-speech extension, enlarged text and spacing, zoom to reduce overwhelm and cognitive load.
Goals
To understand quickly, to avoid overwhelm, to complete forms confidently.
Frustrations
Dense text, legal jargon, multi-step instructions without guidance, unexpected validation errors.
Priya
Neurodivergent Sensory Sensitivity
An autistic user with sensory sensitivity who relies on predictable layouts, reduced motion and calm interfaces to avoid overwhelm.
Neurodivergent Sensory Sensitivity
Priya
Priya is autistic and detail-oriented. She prefers predictable systems and low sensory stimulation.
Priya values clarity and predictability.
Devices and technology
Reduced motion enabled, dark mode, carefully managed notifications.
Goals
Calm predictable journeys, clear structure, time to process.
Frustrations
Auto-rotating banners, flashing elements, countdown timers, sudden layout changes.
Michael
Energy and Reach Limited User
An older user with reduced vision, hearing, strength and stamina who relies on larger targets, flexible timing and simple journeys to stay independent.
Energy and Reach Limited User
Michael
Michael is 82 and retired. He values independence and does not want to rely on family for digital tasks.
Michael is patient and proud. Simplicity supports his independence.
Devices and technology
Tablet with large text, hearing aids, reading glasses.
Goals
To stay independent, to complete tasks at his own pace, to avoid physical strain.
Frustrations
Small touch targets, long forms, interfaces that assume speed, audio without captions.

How the Personas Were Built

Accessibility, grounded in real experience

The CollectivAlly personas are built on qualitative research with disabled and neurodivergent people who use digital services every day. Contributors are paid for their expertise. Their experiences are anonymised, analysed, aggregated, and translated into personas that reflect genuine patterns of interaction, not stereotypes or assumptions.

The research behind the personas is ongoing. As assistive technology evolves, as digital environments change, and as we conduct more sessions with more participants, the personas are updated and refined. They are living tools, not static documents.

Each persona is also mapped to the functional performance criteria of the European Accessibility Act, grounding them in the outcome-focused direction of travel for accessibility standards across the UK and Europe.

How to Think About the Personas

Focused on outcomes, not conditions

A common challenge with accessibility is that it gets framed around diagnoses. We talk about blind users, deaf users, users with dyslexia. These descriptions have their place, but they can lead to a narrow and simplified view of what really matters when someone is trying to use a digital service.

What matters is whether the service works.

Can it be used without sight? Does it still function when zoomed to 400%? Can someone complete a journey using only their voice? Is the content understandable without relying on complex language?

The CollectivAlly personas are built around these questions. Each one reflects a distinct way of accessing digital services, shaped by different input methods, output needs, and patterns of use. This approach also reflects the social model of disability: people are not disabled by their condition alone, but by digital environments that haven't been designed to include them.

Supporting Content

A note on what personas can and cannot do

We are open about the limitations of this approach, because we think that honesty matters.

Lived experience is complex, contextual, and deeply individual. Two people with the same diagnosis may interact with the same digital service in completely different ways. Assistive technologies are used differently depending on confidence, experience, and environment. Cognitive load varies. Fatigue fluctuates. Circumstances change.

The CollectivAlly personas are designed to be illustrative, not representative. They are structured provocations that help teams ask better questions: what happens if this is how someone accesses our service? Where might barriers occur? What assumptions have we made?

They are a bridge, not a destination. And the destination, for every organisation, should be direct involvement with disabled and neurodivergent people throughout the design and development of their services.

Ready to start testing with the personas?

Choose a website, define a task, and find out how your digital service performs for people who experience it very differently from your core team.

Start your free trial Or book a demo for a guided walkthrough

Meet the CollectivAlly personas

Persona cards

Aisha

Daniel

Sofia

Marcus

Hannah

Lewis

Priya

Michael

How the Personas Were Built

How to Think About the Personas

Supporting Content

Ready to start testing with the personas?

Stay in the loop