Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
229 results found in Research Methods.
- AAC Corpus (AAC Text Corpus, Augmentative Communication Corpus)
- A collection of text produced by or representative of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device users, used for training and evaluating language models and word prediction systems. AAC c…
- ABA Reversal Method (ABA Design, Reversal Design)
- The ABA reversal method is a single-subject experimental design in which one participant is observed across three phases: a baseline (A), an intervention (B), and a return to baseline (A). By comparin…
- AI Auditing (Algorithmic Auditing, AI Audit)
- The systematic evaluation of an AI system's outputs, behaviour, or training data to identify harms such as bias, stereotype reproduction, or accessibility failures. Audits may be conducted by industry…
- Ableist Microaggressions Scale (AMS)
- A validated measurement instrument developed by Conover, Israel, and Nylund-Gibson (2017) to systematically assess the frequency and impact of subtle, everyday expressions of ableism. The AMS organise…
- Acoustic Analysis (Acoustic Signal Analysis)
- The computational examination of sound signals to extract measurable properties such as duration, fundamental frequency (pitch), intensity, spectral characteristics, and formant structure. In accessib…
- Action research (Participatory action research, PAR)
- A research methodology that combines investigation with practical action, where researchers work collaboratively with community stakeholders to address real-world problems while simultaneously generat…
- Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS, ASRS-v1.1, Adult ADHD Self-Rating Scale)
- A short self-report screening instrument for adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder developed by the World Health Organization in collaboration with researchers from Harvard Medical School. Th…
- Algorithmic Audit (AI Audit, Algorithmic Auditing)
- A structured evaluation of an algorithmic system that measures how its behaviour differs across users, groups, or contexts - typically to surface bias, fairness failures, or disparate impact. Accessib…
- App Review Mining (App Store Review Analysis, User Review Mining)
- The process of systematically extracting, classifying, and analyzing user reviews from app stores such as Google Play and the Apple App Store to identify patterns, issues, and feature requests. In acc…
- Area of Interest (AOI, Region of Interest, ROI)
- A defined region within a visual stimulus (such as a screen, webpage, or video frame) that researchers designate for analysis in an eye-tracking study. AOIs allow researchers to quantify how much visu…
- Artificial Eye (Eye Model, Optical Eye Model)
- A physical device constructed from optical components to simulate the optical properties of a human eye. Typically consisting of a lens, adjustable aperture (simulating the iris), and an image sensor …
- Attention Network Test (ANT, ANT-I, ANT-Child)
- A computer-administered cognitive task developed by Fan, Posner, and colleagues that measures three functionally distinct attention networks — alerting (sustained readiness), orienting (shifting atten…
- Audience Modelling (Audience Modeling, User Modelling)
- The practice of characterizing and formally describing distinct groups of users and their interaction characteristics to inform the design and evaluation of web interfaces. In accessibility, audience …
- Audio Fiction (Audio Vignette, Audio Scenario)
- A speculative design research method that uses pre-recorded audio dialogues to present fictional scenarios depicting interactions with hypothetical future technologies. Audio fictions combine descript…
- Autobiographical Design
- A design research method in which the designer systematically builds and lives with a system intended for their own use, then reflects on that long-term engagement as a source of design insight. Forma…
- Autoethnography
- A qualitative research method in which the researcher uses their own personal experience as primary data to explore broader cultural, social, or systemic phenomena. In disability and accessibility res…
- Back-Translation (Reverse Translation)
- A quality assurance method used in survey and instrument translation where a translated version is independently translated back into the original language by a different translator. The back-translat…
- Barrier Walkthrough Method (BW Method, Barrier Walkthrough)
- An accessibility evaluation method developed by Giorgio Brajnik that groups Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) success criteria by user categories such as blind users, people with low vision,…
- Best-Worst Scaling (BWS, Maximum Difference Scaling, MaxDiff)
- A survey methodology for efficiently collecting ranking judgments from participants over a large set of items. Instead of asking participants to rank all items at once (which becomes cognitively overw…
- Between-Subjects Design (Between-Groups Design, Independent-Groups Design)
- A between-subjects design is an experimental research design in which each participant is assigned to only one condition, and the conditions are compared across different groups of people. It contrast…