I told an agency their website made me sick…
I once told an agency (during an interview) that their website made me feel sick.
Not exactly the feedback they were hoping for, but digital agencies have a habit of making inaccessible websites — so I had to be honest.
Movement on screen can trigger discomfort or harm for people with:
Vestibular disorders (e.g. vertigo, Ménière’s disease, balance disorders) — motion and parallax can make people dizzy or nauseous
Motion sickness sensitivity — often triggered by fast-moving elements, zooms, or spinning graphics
Migraines — flashing, flickering, or high-contrast animations can cause or worsen headaches
Photosensitive epilepsy — flashing or strobing effects can trigger seizures
Visual processing disorders — rapid or complex motion can overwhelm visual perception
ADHD, dyslexia, or other neurodivergence — unnecessary motion can be distracting or disorienting
General low vision / older eyesight — motion can make it harder to read or focus
With today’s screens (curved monitors, ultra-wides, giant TVs, even VR headsets), motion feels more intense than ever.
And on top of that, website builder platforms come with tons of flashy effects that can be used by anyone — often with little training. Even trained designers aren’t immune to creating seasick-inducing content.
When I was learning web design, the advice was to “surprise and delight” users with “immersive experiences.” That pretty much made it the industry standard to design roller-coaster-style websites. If you look at web design awards sites like Awwwards or SiteInspire, hardly any of the winning sites are accessible.
If you're building a website (or hiring someone to), here are a few things to keep in mind:
Avoid full-width header videos. They usually take a while to load and can feel like sitting in the front row at a cinema.
Skip parallax effects. They’re not good for screen readers or keyboard navigation — and they can make some users queasy. (They’re definitely not as cool as we thought they were in 2011.)
Don’t bother with animated carousels. You know the ones that scroll automatically? Stats show that only about 1% of users actually click them. They make keyboard navigation difficult (sometimes impossible). And if your site’s on Showit? Seriously, just delete them.
Easy on the GIFs. High-speed flashing GIFs don’t actually show your work. Slow them down so people can see what you’ve made — it improves the experience for everyone.
Always give the user control. Longer animations should have stop/play buttons. Don’t embed autoplay videos without controls just because it looks “slick.”
Remember mobile. More advanced motion often doesn’t render well on smaller screens — so save yourself the trouble and keep things simple.
Reduced motion settings
Personally, I use Apple’s reduced motion settings whenever I can — after hours of looking at screens (and scrolling design awards sites), I really need the respite.
Here’s how users can reduce motion on their devices:
Windows 10: Start → Settings → Ease of Access → Display → Toggle “Show Animations in Windows”
macOS: System Preferences → Accessibility → Display → Check “Reduce Motion”
iOS: Settings → Accessibility → Motion → Toggle “Reduce Motion”
Android 9+: Settings → Accessibility → Remove animations
For developers: the magic line of code
You can respect user settings with a simple CSS media query:
@media (prefers-reduced-motion) { /* apply styles for users with reduced motion preferences */ }
Thanks for reading - I hope you found this helpful!
Ciao for now,
Lauren