Glossary

Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.

229 results found in Research Methods.

Forced Alignment (Phonetic Alignment, Phone-Level Alignment)
Forced alignment is an automatic speech processing technique that aligns a speech recording with its known transcription at the phoneme or word level. Unlike free speech recognition which determines t…
Frenchay Aphasia Screening Test (FAST)
A brief, standardized assessment tool used to screen for the presence and severity of aphasia in stroke survivors and others with acquired language impairments. The FAST evaluates four language areas:…
Friedman Test (Friedman Rank Test)
The Friedman test is a non-parametric statistical test used to detect differences across three or more related samples - for example, the same participants rating three interface conditions. It ranks …
Future Workshop
A participatory research method developed by Jungk and Mullert in 1987 that supports collective reflection and idea generation about possible futures. A Future Workshop typically unfolds in phases: cr…
Gait Analysis (Gait Assessment, Walking Analysis)
The systematic study of human locomotion using observation, measurement, and analysis of body mechanics during walking. Gait analysis measures parameters such as stride length, step duration, joint an…
Galvanic Skin Response (GSR, Electrodermal Activity, EDA, Skin Conductance)
A physiological measurement technique that detects changes in the electrical conductance of the skin caused by sweat gland activity. Because sweat glands are controlled by the sympathetic nervous syst…
Gold-Standard Evaluation (Gold Standard, Reference Standard Evaluation)
An evaluation methodology in natural language processing and generation where system output is compared against a set of pre-established correct or ideal responses. In text-based systems, gold-standar…
Grasp Aperture (Hand Aperture, Finger Aperture)
Grasp aperture is the distance between the thumb and opposing finger(s) as the hand opens to receive an object during a reach. It scales with perceived object size, peaks before contact at a value typ…
Haptic Experience Model (HX Model, HX)
A framework proposed by Kim and Schneider for evaluating user experience with haptic technologies along five perceptual-experiential dimensions: autotelics (the pleasantness of the sensation), realism…
Heavy Disguise
A research-ethics technique introduced by Amy Bruckman (2002) for handling quotes and user-generated content drawn from public online spaces. Under heavy disguise the researcher rephrases quotations, …
Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA)
A structured method for describing and analyzing tasks by breaking them down into goals, sub-goals, and operations in a hierarchical tree structure. Originally developed for industrial and safety-crit…
Hornbostel-Sachs Classification (Hornbostel-Sachs System, Sachs-Hornbostel)
A comprehensive system for classifying musical instruments based on how they produce sound, originally developed by Erich von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs in 1914. The system divides instruments into fou…
Human Computation (Crowdsourced Computing)
A computational approach that harnesses human intelligence to perform tasks that computers cannot easily accomplish alone. In accessibility contexts, human computation powers services like remote sigh…
Human Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (HFMEA, Human FMEA)
An adaptation of Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) that focuses specifically on human performance and error. HFMEA systematically examines each step in a process to identify how humans might f…
Human-computer interaction (HCI, Human-machine interaction)
The interdisciplinary study of the design, evaluation, and use of interactive computing systems by humans, drawing on computer science, psychology, design, and social science. HCI research encompasses…
Human-in-the-Loop (HITL)
An approach to AI system design and evaluation that incorporates human judgment, feedback, and oversight at critical points in automated processes. In accessibility contexts, human-in-the-loop methodo…
In Situ Study (Field Study, In-the-Wild Study, Remote Study)
An in situ study is a research method where participants are observed or data is collected in their natural environment rather than in a controlled laboratory setting. In accessibility research, in si…
In-Situ Deployment (In-Situ Study, Field Deployment Study)
A research methodology in which a functional prototype or product is installed on participants' own devices and used in their everyday environment over days, weeks, or months, rather than in a control…
In-Situ Intervention (in-context intervention, just-in-time intervention)
An in-situ intervention is a technological or design feature that is invoked within a user's existing workflow and context, rather than requiring them to switch to a separate application or interrupt …
Information Power
A sample-adequacy principle for qualitative research, proposed by Malterud, Siersma, and Guassora (2016), which holds that the more information a study sample holds that is relevant to the research qu…