Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
41 results found in Design.
- Ability-based design (ABD)
- An accessibility framework that shifts the design focus from disability (what users cannot do) to ability (what users can do), arguing that interactive systems should adapt to users' actual capabiliti…
- Accessible Web Design (Accessible Web Authoring, Nonvisual Web Design)
- Accessible web design refers both to the practice of designing webpages that meet accessibility standards (such as WCAG) and — in a second, increasingly important sense — to the practice of enabling p…
- BATE Principle (Beyond Accessibility to Efficiency)
- A design principle for assistive technology stating that devices should not merely provide basic access to a task but should enable a person with a disability to perform that task with the same effici…
- Bespoke Design (Custom Design, Bespoke Assistive Technology)
- The creation of individually tailored products or solutions made to meet the specific needs of a single user, as opposed to mass-produced or universally designed items. In assistive technology, bespok…
- Co-Making (Co-Fabrication, Collaborative Making)
- Co-making is a participatory practice in which people with disabilities work directly with collaborators — researchers, AI assistants, peers, or family members — to build physical assistive technology…
- Co-design (Co-creation, Cooperative design)
- A design methodology that actively involves end users, stakeholders, and communities as equal partners throughout the design process, going beyond consultation to shared decision-making and creative c…
- Code-Based Modeling (Programmatic Modeling, Scripted 3-D Modeling)
- An approach to creating 3-D models by writing code rather than using visual direct manipulation interfaces. Code-based modeling tools like OpenSCAD allow users to define shapes, transformations, and b…
- Color Universal Design (CUD, Colour Universal Design)
- A set of guidelines and principles developed to ensure that colour use in designs, products, and environments is accessible to people with all types of colour vision, including those with colour visio…
- Colours of Confusion (Confusion Colors, Confusable Colours, Metameric Pairs)
- Pairs or sets of colours that appear distinct to people with typical colour vision but appear identical or nearly identical to people with a specific type of colour vision deficiency. These colour pai…
- Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG)
- A technique in 3-D modeling that creates complex shapes by combining simpler geometric primitives (cubes, spheres, cylinders) using boolean operations such as union, difference, and intersection. CSG …
- DIY assistive technology (DIY-AT, Maker assistive technology, Open-source AT)
- Assistive devices and tools created or customised by end users, volunteers, or makers using accessible fabrication methods such as 3D printing, laser cutting, and off-the-shelf components. DIY-AT offe…
- DeafSpace (Deaf Space, Deaf Geography)
- A design philosophy and set of architectural and spatial principles developed from understanding how deaf people experience and navigate physical and digital environments. DeafSpace considers factors …
- Design Fixation (Fixation Effect)
- A cognitive phenomenon in the design process where exposure to existing examples or initial solutions constrains creative thinking, causing designers to replicate or only minimally modify those exampl…
- Design Saviorism
- A problematic dynamic in design practice where nondisabled designers position themselves as rescuers of disabled people, seeking praise while attempting to fix something that is not broken. Design sav…
- Error Tolerance (Error Prevention, Forgiveness)
- A design principle requiring that systems anticipate, prevent, and gracefully handle user errors. In accessible design, error tolerance means providing clear validation messages, allowing users to und…
- Extraneous Cognitive Load (Extraneous Load)
- One of three types of cognitive load identified by cognitive load theory, referring to the unnecessary mental effort caused by poor instructional design or interface presentation rather than the learn…
- Floating Action Button (FAB)
- A circular button that floats above the user interface in Android apps, typically representing the primary action on a screen. Defined by Google's Material Design guidelines, FABs usually display a si…
- Font Accessibility (Accessible Fonts, Dyslexia-Friendly Fonts)
- The selection and design of typefaces to maximize readability for people with disabilities, particularly dyslexia and low vision. Research has evaluated various font properties for accessibility, find…
- GAIA (Guidelines for Accessible Interfaces for people with Autism, Guidelines for Accessible Interfaces for Autism)
- A set of design guidelines specifically developed to make digital interfaces more accessible for autistic users. GAIA addresses common barriers that autistic people face when using technology, includi…
- Haptic Design (Vibrotactile Design, Haptic Authoring)
- The practice of authoring haptic feedback - typically vibrations, forces, or temperature cues - so that it conveys intended meaning, emotion, or synchronicity with other media. Haptic design involves …