PadhAI: Autoethnographic journey of a neurodivergent designer navigating text-heavy research barriers
Anuraj Chakraborty, Koumudi Patil, Srinath T., Indu Rallabhandi · The Design Journal · 2026
Neurodivergent designers struggle with tasks requiring prolonged, focused engagement in conventional educational frameworks. This paper presents findings from a year-long autoethnographic study conducted by the first author experiencing impaired executive functions, to explore strategies to channel his ADHD traits to conduct a text-heavy, research-driven HCI design process. ADHD compounded the first author’s struggle to sustain a goal-oriented trajectory. However, through intense self-reflection, the first author developed a personalized ‘build-up phase’ that facilitated a sense of control, triggered hyperfocus, and heightened productivity. The reflective journey revealed six distinct non-linear phases: Onboarding, Early Progress, Mid-Project Slump, Deadline Pressure, Final Push & Submission, and Post-Submission Reflection. The thick autoethnographic data informed the design of a Notion page tailored for ADHDs, underscoring the potential of AI in triggering the hyperfocus state to reduce the entry barrier for neurodivergent researchers.