Youth Pictability

The Challenge

Fast Track Inclusion in New Zealand, led by psychologist Annick, wanted to adapt the spirit of Pictability into a youth-first format. A family-oriented tool would not transfer directly.

The tool needed to be instantly graspable, memorable, and flexible across a wide range of disabilities and individual needs. Too much information creates friction. Too little structure loses meaning.

Our Approach

We started with users and ran repeated prototype-and-test loops with young people and support teams, iterating based on what proved clear in practice.

Clarity and simplicity were the gate at every stage. If it required too much explanation, it was not ready. If it felt clinical or overwhelming, it was not ready.

A travel narrative became the interaction frame: destinations, steps, and progress. It made abstract concepts tangible without heavy instruction.

The Solution

A visual goal-setting kit built for youth and young adults with disability, grounded in the original Pictability model but with its own youth-focused visual language.

Every element was tuned for immediate accessibility: clear, uncluttered, and engaging across varied abilities and communication contexts.

Outcomes

Youth Pictability is in active use in New Zealand and Ireland, with further international opportunities in development.

Next-phase development is focused on expanding access for young people who are blind or have low vision.

Accessibility & Lived Experience

Accessibility shaped the information architecture from the first concept. Visual hierarchy, chunking, and low-friction interactions were treated as core product requirements.

Design decisions reflected the realities of youth users and support networks, not a generic workflow model.

Services Demonstrated

• Product Design and Development
• Visual Communication
• Co-Design and Human-Centred Design
• Accessibility-Led Design
• Visual Storytelling