ND-Informed UX / UI Designer

The Neuro Inclusion Project; North Dakota; Remote; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity compensation

Flexible communication styles

Job summary

The Neuro Inclusion Project is looking for an ND-Informed UX / UI Designer to focus on creating sensory and cognitive-friendly experiences. This early-stage role is equity-only, emphasizing design that supports neurodivergent users and prioritizes safety and clarity.

Responsibilities include designing user interfaces that reduce cognitive load and ensuring accessibility beyond compliance. The role suits those who are neurodivergent or have strong accessibility instincts.

Qualifications

• Strong instincts for accessibility in design.
• Experience in UX / UI design with a focus on neurodivergent needs.
• Ability to think in terms of systems and user experience.

Responsibilities

• Design interfaces that minimise cognitive and sensory load.
• Ensure user accessibility and optimal design collaboration.
• Engage with users for insight and improvement.

Skills

UX / UI design

Accessibility

Systems thinking

Job description

Sensory Safety, Cognitive Load Reduction | Equity-Only (Early Stage)

IMPORTANT... READ FIRST

This is an early-stage, equity-only role.
There is no salary at this stage.
Compensation is via equity (shares or options), with vesting.

Scope, time commitment, and review points are explicit.
This role is fractional and design-governance focused

The role converts to paid when funding or delivery contracts are secured

We are intentionally rejecting persuasive, addictive, or attention-extractive design patterns.

Role Summary

NdCare Hub is being designed as regulation-aware digital infrastructure for neurodivergent people... not a stimulation-heavy mental health app.

We are seeking an ND-Informed UX / UI Designer to shape the sensory, cognitive, and emotional experience of the platform from the ground up.

This role treats design as clinical architecture.
Every layout, interaction, and visual choice either supports regulation or undermines it.

Purpose of the Role

The UX / UI Designer exists to:

• Reduce cognitive, sensory, and emotional load
• Design for orientation, safety, and clarity
• Ensure accessibility is felt, not just compliant
• Translate nervous-system principles into real user experience

If this role is done well, users feel less overwhelmed without knowing why.

Key Responsibilities

1. Sensory & Cognitive Safety Design

Design interfaces that minimise:

• visual clutter
• decision fatigue
• unnecessary stimulation

Consider colour, contrast, motion, spacing, and hierarchy through a regulation lens

Avoid “engagement-first” UI patterns that increase arousal or pressure

2. ND-Affirming Accessibility

Design beyond basic WCAG compliance

Account for:

• ADHD, AuDHD, and sensory sensitivity
• executive function variability
• emotional regulation states

Advocate for choice, flexibility, and user control

3. Clinical & Product Collaboration

Work closely with:

• Head of Product
• Clinical Director
• Lead Therapist
• Ensure design decisions align with therapeutic intent and ethical boundaries
• Flag designs that may unintentionally increase stress or shame

Co-create NdCare’s core UX principles

Contribute to a design system that supports:

• consistency
• low cognitive demand

Document rationale behind design decisions for governance and scaling

5. User Insight & Iteration

• Engage with ND users and lived-experience feedback
• Support testing approaches that are respectful and non-extractive

What This Role Is Not

• It is not a branding-only or visual-polish role
• It is not about flashy animations or trend-driven UI
• It is not a growth or conversion-optimisation role
• It is not expected to work at unsustainable pace

This role prioritises restraint, clarity, and safety.

Equity, Time & Structure

• Compensation: Equity only (shares or options)
• Equity range: ~0.25–0.75%
• Vesting: 3–4 years (structure to be agreed)
• Time commitment: Project-based or ~1 day per week
• Review point: MVP design milestone
• Salary transition: On funding or product contracts

Who This Role Is For

This role may suit someone who:

• Is a UX / UI designer with strong accessibility instincts
• Is neurodivergent or deeply ND-informed
• Thinks in terms of systems, not just screens
• Values simplicity, predictability, and user dignity
• Is comfortable challenging product decisions on safety grounds

You do not need a “mental health app” portfolio... judgement matters more.

What We Explicitly Welcome

• Flexible communication styles
• Honest discussion about capacity and sensory needs

We will adapt process and expectations to support nervous-system safety.

Why This Role Matters

For neurodivergent users,
bad UX is not annoying... it is destabilising.