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Meet Jonathan: a photographer who has ADHD

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:

Thinking: a bright pink gear connected to a smaller purple gear above it by a wavey line of orange dots. The bright pink gear slots together with a smaller purple gear on the bottom right showing a different way to make a connection
Thinking

Tell us about yourself

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!

A black and white portrait of a man with wavy white hair, a short beard, and thick black glasses. He is smiling warmly and holding a vintage camera in front of him, with his right hand raised as he takes the picture using a button on the end of a cord. The background is blurred with a classic film border at the edges.
Jonathan's self-portrait holding a vintage camera.

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.

What barriers have you experienced using the web?

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.

A photo of Jonathan, a man with white hair and thick black-framed glasses, standing in a studio behind a camera mounted on a tripod. He is wearing a white t-shirt, dark jeans with rolled-up cuffs, and blue sneakers with red soles. He is slightly leaning to one side, smiling, and looking through the camera’s viewfinder.
Jonathan in his studio taking photos. Photo credit Steve who was having his photo taken at the time.

Are there any websites you find especially accessible?

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.

What features or improvements would you like to see on the web?

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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Henny Swan

Henny is a Director. She specialises in embedded and sustainable accessibility, inclusive user experience and design.

Having started her career focusing on the usability of dual language web platforms in China in the late 1990's, Henny moved into accessibility on her return to the UK in the early 2000s. Since then she has worked for the RNIB, Opera Software, TPGi and the BBC. It was at BBC she developed her passion for inclusive TV and streaming experiences.

Henny is co-author of the Inclusive Design Principles, was lead author of the BBC Mobile Accessibility Guidelines, and is a regular speaker at conferences. In 2022 Henny graduated the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses.

Henny Swan
Photograph of Henny, whose bedhead hair clearly didn't get the 'dress code' memo, wearing a big smile, black glasses and a swan necklace

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