Founders building products for neurodivergent users - what have you learned?

Biggest surprise users didn’t want AI magic. They wanted plain words. Adding simple explanations worked 10x better than a fancy score.

Consistency across screens mattered more than adding new clever patterns.

I learned simplicity beats cleverness. Neurodivergent users responded best when tasks were broken into clear, small steps. I wrongly assumed gamification helps but it often distracted. Clarity, flexibility and reducing friction made the biggest difference.

What surprised me most, silence is powerful. Notifications felt stressful, not helpful. Neurodivergent testers loved "quiet modes" with fewer pings. I assumed constant nudging drove engagement but respecting attention actually built more trust and longer use.

Color coding and visual cues worked better than text heavy instructions.

I assumed long onboarding would help, but short guided steps kept users engaged longer.

I assumed long onboarding would help, but short guided steps kept users engaged longer.

Found that progress bars motivate a lot more than I expected.