Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
73 results found in Mobile Accessibility.
- Eyes-free Interaction (Eyes-free Input, Nonvisual Interaction, Eyes-free Interface)
- Interaction techniques that allow users to operate devices without looking at the screen or interface. Eyes-free interaction is essential for people who are blind, but also benefits sighted users in c…
- Find My Things (FMT)
- A Microsoft-developed smartphone app that lets people who are blind or have low vision train a personalized object recognizer by recording short example videos of their own items, then use the trained…
- Fintech (Financial Technology)
- An umbrella term for software and digital-service innovations in the financial sector, including online and mobile banking, payments (e.g., Apple Pay, PayPal), budgeting apps, investment platforms, di…
- 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…
- Focusable Element (Keyboard Focusable, Focus Target)
- A GUI element that can receive input focus, allowing users to interact with it via keyboard, switch device, or assistive technology. For screen reader users navigating mobile apps, an element without …
- Form Factor (Device Form Factor, Handset Form Factor)
- Form factor refers to the overall physical size, shape, weight, and mechanical configuration of a device — for mobile phones this includes distinctions like candy-bar, clamshell (flip), slide-out keyb…
- Functiona11ity Error (Functionality Error, Functiona11ity)
- A term coined by Zhong et al. (2026) — a portmanteau of 'functionality' and 'a11y' (accessibility) — for an accessibility barrier that only manifests through interaction. The static state of the UI ap…
- GUI Widget (UI Widget, User Interface Widget, Control, UI Component)
- A graphical user interface element that users can interact with or that displays information, such as buttons, text fields, images, checkboxes, and sliders. In mobile accessibility, widget types deter…
- Gestural Input (Gesture-based Input, Touch Gestures)
- Input methods that interpret finger movements on a touchscreen as commands, including taps, swipes, pinches, and multi-finger gestures. For blind users, gestural input must be performed without visual…
- Gesture Typing (Swipe Typing, Trace Typing, Glide Typing, Shape Writing)
- A text entry method on touchscreen devices where the user enters a word by continuously gliding their finger from letter to letter on a virtual keyboard without lifting it, rather than tapping each ke…
- Gesture-Based Input (Gesture input, Gestural input, Gesture-based text entry)
- An input method that interprets finger or hand movements — such as swipes, taps, and drawn paths — as commands or text characters. For people with visual impairments, gesture-based input on touchscree…
- Home Button (Home Key, Home Screen Button)
- The home button is a persistent, consistently-placed control on a device that returns the user to a known starting state — typically the home screen or main menu — from anywhere in the interface. From…
- In-situ Highlighting (In-situ Guidance, In-situ Instruction, On-screen Highlighting)
- In-situ highlighting is a tutorial technique that overlays visual indicators directly on the live application interface to show the user exactly where to tap, look, or interact next - rather than desc…
- Indoor Localization (Indoor Positioning, Indoor Positioning System, IPS)
- The problem of determining the precise location of a person or device inside a building, where GPS signals are weak or unavailable. Indoor localization is foundational for accessible wayfinding system…
- Inter-Icon Spacing (Icon Spacing, Icon Gap)
- The amount of empty space between icons or interactive targets in a graphical user interface. Inter-icon spacing affects a user's ability to visually distinguish, locate, and accurately select individ…
- Interface Consistency (Consistent Navigation, Consistent Identification, UI Consistency)
- Interface consistency is a design principle requiring that navigational mechanisms, visual layouts, and interactive components appear and behave in the same way across different pages, screens, or app…
- Location-Based Game (LBG, Location-Based Puzzle Game, LBPG, Pervasive Game)
- A location-based game (LBG) is a game whose gameplay depends on the player’s real-world physical location, typically determined via GPS, NFC, Bluetooth beacons, or QR codes. Examples include Geocachin…
- Microinteraction (Micro-interaction, Quick interaction)
- A brief, high-frequency interaction with a device that typically takes a sighted user less than four seconds to complete, such as checking the time, glancing at a notification, or adjusting the volume…
- Mobile AR (Smartphone AR, Handheld AR)
- Augmented reality experiences delivered on commodity smartphones and tablets using the built-in camera, display, inertial sensors, and (increasingly) depth sensors, without specialized AR headsets. Mo…
- Mobile Phone (Cell Phone, Cellular Phone, Mobile)
- A mobile phone is a portable radio-telephone that connects to the public telephone network over cellular radio infrastructure. In digital-accessibility practice mobile phones are both an accessibility…