Posted on by Henny Swan in User experience
Meet Jonathan, the photographer behind the portraits of all our models (links to their interviews below) for the TetraLogical website.
Jonathan has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and shares his experience browsing the web, including how distractions like cookies, pop-ups, and social media affect him.
If you haven't already:
I’m a photographer, a dad, a coffee lover, and a cyclist based in Bristol. I take portraits and product images as a self-employed photographer, and I also work two days a week in the NHS Medical Illustration Department. Medical illustration is the traditional name for what is now clinical photography, videography, PR photography, and graphic design. We’re a large, multi-award-winning team.
I was (very) late diagnosed with ADHD in 2022 and Autism in 2024. After some initial and unexpected grieving, I now feel content and relieved to have a name—and a reason—for why I’ve struggled all my life, especially with things that seem to come easily to others.
I’m an expert at masking; I realise now I’ve been doing it unconsciously for a lifetime. The process of unmasking and being authentic has begun, but I’m determined to pace myself—I keep reminding myself it’s a journey, not a race!
I was delighted to have been commissioned by TetraLogical to take a series of images for their website on how other people, with a range of different accessibility needs, live their lives both on and offline. I love strong, stand out black and white images and take great delight in the results. Such an inspiring and fun day, it’s always interesting to hear other peoples stories.
Looking back, I realise I’ve missed out on things because I struggle to ‘read between the lines’ or understand nuance and metaphors. For example, filling out forms can be difficult - questions often don’t reflect my lived experience, and answer options feel too binary. Ironically, I prefer clear, concise, and structured instructions! I appreciate forms that let me answer honestly rather than forcing a generalised response.
Explanatory text also needs to be both concise and detailed. If FAQs don’t directly answer my question, I’ll give up pretty quickly. Too often, they don’t cater to my specific need. I believe good design and usability don’t have to be sacrificed for accessibility. It can be built in naturally, made discreet if necessary, but still easy to find for those who need it.
Another frustration? Cookie pop-ups. Every site handles them differently some are opt-in, others are opt-out, or a long list of choices. If it’s complicated, I’ll just leave the site. From a user’s perspective, it ruins the experience, and I’m stubborn enough to boycott a site if the pop-up takes too long. Make it easy and straightforward for everyone, please!
From an ADHD perspective, social media is a huge time drain. I can easily spend hours scrolling, which is why I use an app blocker at certain times of the day and night. That said, I do find Instagram’s simple, uncluttered interface easy to navigate. Over the years, it’s become much more intuitive to post pictures and content.
While not a website, I swear by my reMarkable tablet. It’s an electronic handwriting and note-taking device that I received through Access to Work.
I’ve always preferred handwriting to typing; it helps me think more clearly and articulate ideas better in work situations. The tablet is also great for jotting down photo ideas, drawing lighting diagrams, and more. But the best part? No distractions. No app store, no social media, no email - nothing pulling my attention away. It’s a game-changer.
Less pop-up ads, less inline ads disrupting the content, less intrusiveness overall from companies. I appreciate the website owner is trying to make money from these but my goodness they are at the expense of usability!
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