Motion That Makes People Sick: Vestibular-Friendly Design

Hannah opened a bright, flashy website. Instantly everything swooped, zoomed, and slid past as she scrolled. Within seconds she was dizzy and sick, and had to look away.

Nothing sat still. Headlines slid in sideways. Photos kept zooming. A spinning carousel never stopped.

For actual users with vestibular disorders, that motion is not just annoying. When what the eyes see disagrees with what the body feels, it can trigger real dizziness, nausea, and headaches.

The fix is simple: Honor the reduce-motion setting. Keep animation gentle and optional. Give every moving thing a pause button.

The calm version lets Hannah browse comfortably — and finish what she came for.

💡 The scenario I shared is a fictionalized composite informed by patterns I've seen firsthand. The people are fictional; the accessibility barriers are real.

Don't forget to check out stretchyelephant.com for cute educational children's books, and the aCo app for business needs — it's an all-in-one business solution for project management, passwords, tasks and more.

#Accessibility #WebAccessibility #ReducedMotion #Vestibular #InclusiveDesign