How packaging design impacts neurodivergent shoppers

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Introduction
This report looks at how packaging design affects neurodivergent shoppers, a group that makes up around one in five people. It shows that everyday design choices like noise, texture and layout can either help or hinder purchasing decisions, making inclusion a practical business concern.

Key Takeaways

• Sensory factors matter: loud “crinkly” materials, bright colours and cluttered layouts can overwhelm some shoppers, while quieter materials and calmer visuals improve usability.
• The shift from plastic to paper packaging changes the experience. Paper can reduce harsh noise and glare, but poor design can make packs harder to open or understand.
• Opening difficulty is a widespread issue, but for neurodivergent consumers it can be a barrier to independence, not just a minor frustration.
• Visual clutter increases cognitive load. Clear structure, simple layouts and a single access point for extra information (like QR codes) improve accessibility.
• Packaging changes can alienate loyal users. Sudden redesigns can confuse neurodivergent shoppers, making consistency and clear transition cues important.
• Inclusive design benefits a wide audience. Improvements like better grip, readable text and intuitive opening mechanisms help all consumers, not just those with disabilities.

Conclusion
The report suggests that inclusive packaging is not about adding more features, but about removing friction and reducing sensory overload. Brands that focus on clarity, consistency and ease of use are more likely to win and retain customers. Looking ahead, embedding inclusive design early in development will be key as expectations around accessibility continue to grow.

From tactile finishes to bright colours, ‘crinkly’ sounding packets and crowded text, there can be a lot of sensory elements involved in packaging design – some of which can have a significant impact on neurodivergent shoppers and make a difference to their purchasing choices and favoured brands.

In this edition of the Brief, we take a closer look at what parts of packaging design can impact neurodivergent shoppers, including material feel, sounds, visual clutter and how these qualities might be adapted to make packaging more inclusive.

“Around one in five people are estimated to be neurodivergent, including those with autism, ADHD, dyslexia and other cognitive differences. Many experience stronger responses to sound, texture, colour intensity or visual clutter. Packaging that feels minorly inconvenient to one shopper may feel overwhelming or frustrating to another.”

These comments come from PRS In Vivo’s managing director Patrick Young and strategic market researcher Haneefa Buckley, as part of a recent article published by Packaging Europe on how switching to paper-based packaging impacts neurodiverse shoppers. Young and Buckley point out that many FMCG companies have shifted from plastic packaging to paper-based alternatives in a bid to improve recyclability, but it also represents one of the biggest shifts in how shoppers physically interact with packaging in decades.

In case of snack and confectionary packaging, such as crisp packets, the sound produced by opening or holding the packets can have a significant impact. Young and Buckley state that traditional thin plastic films often create sharp crinkling sounds when handled, which “can be uncomfortable or even distressing” for some people. They add that more rigid paper-based structures may reduce these high-frequency sounds, creating a “quieter and less abrasive” interaction.

They also note that packaging’s appearance and feel is changed by using paper rather than plastic – some colours may have a more ‘matt’ finish, and paper and cardboard surfaces tend to provide more grip than smooth plastic, which can reduce visual glare and improve opening – but caution that poorly designed paper packs can introduce new friction points if they require more force to tear, or if opening mechanisms are unclear.

Young and Buckley conclude that introducing “quieter materials, clearer opening cues, calmer visual design and more intuitive structures” will all improve usability.

‘Sensory inclusive’ packaging design

An article published this month by The Packer claims that according to research, “the average person will spend roughly 43 days of their life struggling to open products, with 84% of shoppers reporting regular frustration. But for neurodivergent individuals and those with sensory sensitivities, these aren’t just “wrap rage” moments. They are significant barriers to independence.”

The article also examines findings from PRS In Vivo’s Sensory Room, installed in April 2025 as part of the company’s retail labs - simulated supermarket environments where researchers could observe real-world interaction with packaging on a supermarket shelf. Apparently, visual clutter and tactile friction was found to specifically exclude the 15% of the global population living with disabilities, particularly in the fresh produce aisle.

The company’s managing director, Patrick Young, told The Packer that packaging can be inclusive without being visually intrusive, suggesting high-contrast typography can be placed “in structured bands that frame, rather than obscure” the product window, and tactile elements such as embossed icons or corner markers can be positioned “on structural areas of the pack” rather than over the viewing panel.

Young adds that while QR codes and smart packaging can offer meaningful inclusion benefits through audio descriptions or expanded sourcing information, when packaging becomes “crowded with claims, icons and tech prompts, cognitive load increases, especially for neurodivergent shoppers.” He recommends keeping the physical pack calm and legible, allowing deeper information to be accessed behind “a single, clearly signposted access point.”

Changing packaging design

Last year, the Business Disability Forum published an article titled ‘Why packaging needs to be accessible’, which outlined the main issues disabled consumers encountered with packaging, including dexterity when opening packaging, difficulties with how information was presented on pack, and changing packaging designs.

The Forum states that packaging is a key aspect of product accessibility, and when taken into consideration, “it can make your product easier to use for disabled consumers. If overlooked, however, it can prevent disabled people from purchasing or being able to use your product.”

The article cites Britvic’s change of design for its Fruit Shoot bottles as an issue for some neurodivergent consumers. The Forum’s CEO Diane Lightfoot says that for people with dyslexia, the language used or layout on the packaging may be confusing. For those with autism, familiarity tends to be important – so a sudden change or re-design of the packaging could make that product inaccessible.

In 2021, Britvic moved from a coloured to a clear bottle for its Fruit Shoots. Lightfoot says this proved difficult for some children with neurodiverse conditions, who found the sudden change and unfamiliarity of the packaging difficult to navigate. When changing its bottle design again in 2024, Britvic worked with the National Autistic Society to create an easily recognisable product and to help customers anticipate the change.

Information presentation

We spoke to Diane Lightfoot back in 2024, as part of our accessible packaging report. The report states:

“According to research from Open Inclusion, commissioned by the Business Disability Forum, 90% of disabled consumers were affected at the decision-making stage of purchases by either limitations of design, limitations in available information, or how information was presented.”

In addition, 65% of disabled consumers who took part in the research said they felt that their choices were limited on a daily basis due a lack of accessibility or inclusion. Our senior writer Victoria Hattersley pointed out that while the ISO standard for accessible design and ease of opening provides some useful guidelines, it is voluntary only.

The main categories of issues disabled people experience around packaging include difficult to open packaging, requiring strength or dexterity; lack of tactile or auditory cues to identify products; small, or hard-to-read fonts on labels; and complex resealing mechanisms. Some of these will overlap with each other.

Hattersley states that “all packs should be designed to be used by everyone – and then we wouldn’t even need to flag this fact.” She recommends that brand owners bear this in mind when it comes to packaging development, with tools such as Microsoft’s Inclusive Design Toolkit available to guide brands in their future packaging development.

Design with neurodivergent consumers in mind

What can it look like when packaging is designed with neurodivergent shoppers in mind from the outset? One example of this is the Zense drink packaging designed by Graphic Brands.

The company claims the packaging was designed “with a focus on sensory impact, created for neurodivergent ADHD minds”. Made from recycled plastic and intended to be refilled, the drink tub hopes to encourage repeated use and be comfortable to hold. The main sensory considerations of the packaging are sight, touch, hearing and smell.

Graphic Brands states that the colours were deliberately chosen for clarity and impact, with energising tones for ‘Focus’ and soothing hues for ‘Calm.’ When considering touch, textured embellishments and tactile varnishes offer stimulating or calming sensations, tailored to each variant.

An NFC tag links to a specially curated brown noise playlist, a low-frequency sound which can enhance focus and minimize distractions. There is also a scented varnish, which adds a ‘subtle olfactory layer’ to the packaging.

Ultimately, when designing packaging to be truly inclusive of everyone, such as neurodivergent consumers, it is important to consider that each person’s experience is different – for example, some people could find the textured features on Zense’s drinks tub pleasing, while another could find them overstimulating, compared to a smooth surface.

However, bearing in mind features such as visual clutter, the sound and feel of certain packaging materials and - in some cases - the strength or type of smells such as Zense’s scented varnish, are all significant aspects of packaging design which can be developed to produce less sensory overwhelm and a smoother experience for shoppers.

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