Rethinking Social Media: Inclusive UX for Teen Eye Gaze Users

Creating space for nonverbal teens in the digital world.

Creating space for nonverbal teens in the digital world.

Our Target User: Meet Ruby

✦ Age: 13

✦ Diagnosis: Cerebral Palsy – nonverbal, wheelchair user

✦ Language: English

✦ Device: Tobii Dynavox (eye gaze)

✦ Personality: Hilarious, sassy, fashion-forward

✦ Favorite Activities: Watching TikToks, anything sparkly, listening to music (aka Taylor Swift)

Ruby is a 13-year-old with a physical disability who uses a special speech generating device that helps her talk, which she controls with her eyes. By looking at buttons on her screen, she is able to say, 'Hi' to her besties, gossip, or chat about pop culture. When she is at school, she often watches her classmates make TikTok videos, and post selfies on Instagram.

Sometimes Ruby feels sad because she wants to do all of those things, but she doesn’t have a way to do it on her own. Her communication device can sometimes open apps like Instagram, but the buttons are too small making it hard to select them with her eyes. So even just scrolling or posting requires help from someone else. And yeah, she has somethings to say about that…

“I should be able to post because I am that girl.”

“I should be able to post because I am that girl.”

Project Background

As a former Speech-Language Pathologist, I worked with students who, like Ruby, just wanted to be regular teens - to post selfies, scroll TikTok, and stay connected with friends.

But many of them couldn’t move their arms or legs or speak using verbal language. They relied on eye gaze devices, which track where they look to help them communicate and navigate screens.

When it came to social media, though, the experience often broke down. Most platforms weren’t compatible, and even when they were, cluttered layouts and tiny touch targets made independent access nearly impossible.

I started by interviewing my students - asking what they wanted, what felt hard, and how we could do better.

As a former Speech-Language Pathologist, I worked with students who, like Ruby, just wanted to be regular teens - to post selfies, scroll TikTok, and stay connected with friends.

But many of them couldn’t move their arms or legs or speak using verbal language. They relied on eye gaze devices, which track where they look to help them communicate and navigate screens.

When it came to social media, though, the experience often broke down. Most platforms weren’t compatible, and even when they were, cluttered layouts and tiny touch targets made independent access nearly impossible.

I started by interviewing my students - asking what they wanted, what felt hard, and how we could do better.

As a former Speech-Language Pathologist, I worked with students who, like Ruby, just wanted to be regular teens - to post selfies, scroll TikTok, and stay connected with friends.

But many of them couldn’t move their arms or legs or speak using verbal language. They relied on eye gaze devices, which track where they look to help them communicate and navigate screens.

When it came to social media, though, the experience often broke down. Most platforms weren’t compatible, and even when they were, cluttered layouts and tiny touch targets made independent access nearly impossible.

I started by interviewing my students - asking what they wanted, what felt hard, and how we could do better.

Research & Insights: Getting to Know Our Users

5 in-person interviews with students, and all participants:

Between the ages of 13-19

Have Cerebral Palsy (CP) diagnosis

Rely on an eye gaze device

Are nonverbal and wheelchair users

What They Told Us:

100%

Like using social media

60%

Are tired when using these platforms

80%

Use most to see what their friends are doing

Mapping Ruby's User Experience Using Social Media

Breaking down how Ruby accesses social media each day.

Can't view the user journey above? Click here to open it as a PDF 📎

What Our Users Helped Us Understand

✦ There’s a clear desire from this community to use social media - but the current design just isn't cutting it.

✦ Eye gaze users often get 'stuck' when attempting to scroll or comment on a post

✦ Eye gaze users often get 'stuck' when attempting to scroll or comment on a post.

✦ Many want to post photos on their own without always having to ask for help

✦ Many want to post photos on their own without always having to ask for help.

✦ Experiences would be greatly improved with larger buttons and streamlined interactions

✦ Experiences would be greatly improved with larger buttons and streamlined interactions.

The Problem

Many platforms - like Instagram- are NOT designed with eye gaze users in mind.

Many platforms - like Instagram- are NOT designed with eye gaze users in mind.

Who: 13 to 19 year-old teenagers with Cerebral Palsy (CP)

What: Access to social media platforms such as Instagram

Why: Be in control of how and when they connect with others

What is CP, and who does it affect?

According to the CDC (2023) Cerebral palsy (CP) is a neurological condition that affects movement, muscle tone, and posture. It is the most common motor disability in childhood, impacting about 1 in 345 children in the U.S.

Is there any research on teens with CP and social media?

There is currently no known published research specifically on teenagers with cerebral palsy (ages 13–18) who use eye gaze devices and their relationship with social media platforms. However, existing studies suggest that young people with complex communication needs often experience social isolation (Cooper et al., 2009; McNaughton & Light, 2013).

What is CP, and who does it affect?

Is there any research on teens with CP and social media?

What is CP, and who does it affect?

Has this been done before?

Design Goals

✦ Reduce cognitive and physical load for teens who use eye gaze devices

✦ Empower nonverbal teens to independently build and express their digital identity

✦ Simplify interactions and increase target size and visibility for seamless eye gaze navigation

Turning Goals into Solutions: What I Created

This is a reimagined version of Instagram, designed for teens who use eye gaze to communicate. By simplifying the layout and making every action accessible through eye movement, it can give nonverbal users the freedom to scroll and post on their own terms.

The Home Page

This accessible Instagram home screen serves as a central hub for eye gaze users. Each large button leads to a key action - like posting, browsing, or viewing a profile - and can be selected by simply dwelling (focusing the eyes) on it, eliminating the need for taps or swipes.

The Feed

This accessible Instagram feed was designed for eye gaze users to scroll and engage with posts independently. Each action - like liking a photo or moving to the next post - is simplified into large, clearly labeled buttons on the right side of the screen.

Camera/Posting Screen

This camera screen gives eye gaze users the ability to take their own photos for Instagram. With large, clearly labeled buttons, users can take a photo, switch the camera view, or return to the home screen by simply dwelling on each option.

Designing for Eye Gaze: A Visual Comparision

A side-by-side comparision of the original Instagram layout and a simplified redesign tailored for eye gaze users.

Key Design Choices

✦ Simplifying Actions - Removing non-essential features, icons, and visual noise to create a cleaner, more focused interface.

✦ Enlargening Interactive Elements - Buttons and icons that are bigger, clearer, and easier to click with your eyes.

✦ Reducing Clutter - Streamlining multi-step tasks (such as liking or scrolling) into fewer, easier interactions.

Takeaway: Sometimes, less is better for these kids.

Future Directions

While this redesign is grounded in real user pain points and informed by accessibility research, one crucial step remains: testing. With more time and resources, my next priority would be to conduct usability testing directly with eye gaze users.

Beyond testing, future directions could include:

✦ Expanding features to include Instagram Stories and Direct Messaging

✦ Exploring other platforms like TikTok to adapt similar accessibility principles

✦ Creating a plug-in that connects AAC (communication) apps directly to Instagram to allow users to comment or message using their own voice systems

Reflections

This was my first UX design project... and I struggled. A lot. I found myself getting especially frustrated during the design phase. At first, I imagined every feature Instagram offers just magically fitting right onto the page. I wanted to give people like my students (who use eye gaze devices) access to all of it.

But I quickly realized that wasn’t realistic. And honestly, that was a bummer. I worried that by removing so many features (like Instagram Stories or Direct Messages), I might actually be excluding them even more - making their version of Instagram feel like less than everyone else’s.

In those moments, I had to pause and go back my user's goals. The participants I spoke with didn’t ask for Stories or Direct Messages. They said they wanted to post a photo. They just wanted to see what their friends were up to on the weekends. So I thought - okay… let’s start there.

It reminded me that as designers, our job is to put the user front and center. To give them everything they need - and maybe one day, everything and more.

Dedicated to and In Loving Memory of 🕊️❤️

Hailey Madison Garita 💚

Jesús Aguirre Bautista 🕊️

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Cerebral Palsy (CP): Data & Statistics.
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/cp/data.html

Cooper, L., Balandin, S., & Trembath, D. (2009). The loneliness experiences of young adults with cerebral palsy who use AAC: “I can’t really say anything, can I?” Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 34(3), 210–218.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13668250903070810

McNaughton, D., & Light, J. (2013). The iPad and mobile technology revolution: Benefits and challenges for individuals who require augmentative and alternative communication. AAC: Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 29(2), 107–116. https://doi.org/10.3109/07434618.2013.784930