Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
37 results found in User Interface Design.
- On-Demand Simplification (On-demand text simplification, User-initiated simplification)
- An interaction pattern for Automatic Text Simplification reading-assistance tools in which the user explicitly requests a simpler version of a word, phrase, or sentence — typically via hover, click, o…
- Predictive Cursor (Anticipatory Cursor, Offset Cursor)
- A cursor display technique designed to compensate for the delays inherent in speech-based or other high-latency input methods. A predictive cursor shows an indicator ahead of the actual cursor positio…
- Semantic Hierarchy (Semantic Tree, Component Hierarchy)
- A structured, tree-based representation of a complex object that organizes its components by meaning and relationship rather than by raw data. In accessible 3-D modeling, a semantic hierarchy breaks d…
- Sign Language Interface (Sign-language interface, Signing interface)
- A computing interface that accepts input from, or presents output to, a user in a signed language such as American Sign Language (ASL) or British Sign Language (BSL), rather than assuming a spoken or …
- Speech Dialogue Design (Speech Interface Design, Auditory Dialogue Design)
- The practice of designing the structure, content, ordering, and delivery of information presented through synthetic speech in computer interfaces. Effective speech dialogue design considers psycholing…
- Tacton (Tactile Icon, Vibrotactile Pattern)
- A structured and abstract vibrotactile message designed to communicate complex information to users non-visually, analogous to how icons communicate information visually or earcons communicate through…
- Tappability (Tap Target, Tappable)
- The property of a user interface element that indicates whether it can be activated by tapping on a touchscreen device. Tappability is a key concern in mobile accessibility because elements that appea…
- Target Selection (Target Acquisition, Pointing)
- The fundamental interaction task of moving a cursor or pointer to a specific location on screen and confirming selection, such as clicking a button or link. Target selection difficulty is affected by …
- Tracked Captions (Speaker-following captions, Dynamic captions)
- Captions that move dynamically within the video frame to stay near the current speaker's face or mouth, rather than remaining anchored at a fixed position (typically the bottom of the video). Tracked …
- UI Semantics (User Interface Semantics, Interface Semantics)
- The meaningful properties and roles of user interface elements that go beyond their visual appearance, including what an element does, how it can be interacted with, and its relationship to other elem…
- User Interface Management System (UIMS)
- A software framework that separates user interface presentation and interaction from application logic, allowing the interface to be designed, modified, or replaced independently of the underlying pro…
- Vibrotactile Feedback (VTF, Vibration Feedback)
- A form of haptic feedback that communicates information through vibration patterns delivered to the skin, typically via small motors embedded in wearable devices such as armbands, gloves, or watches. …
- View Hierarchy (UI Hierarchy, Accessibility Hierarchy, DOM Tree)
- The tree-structured representation of how user interface elements are organized and nested within an application. The view hierarchy defines parent-child relationships between UI components, specifyin…
- Visual Information Seeking Mantra (Overview First, Shneiderman's Mantra)
- A design principle for information visualisation coined by Ben Shneiderman, summarised as "overview first, zoom and filter, then details-on-demand." The mantra describes an optimal pattern for present…
- WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)
- An acronym for "What You See Is What You Get," describing a user interface paradigm where content displayed on screen during editing closely resembles the final output (such as a printed document). Wh…
- Wizard Design Pattern (Wizard Interface, Step-by-step Interface, Guided Task Flow)
- An interface design pattern that breaks complex tasks into a series of simple, sequential questions or steps. Rather than presenting all options simultaneously, a wizard guides users through one decis…
- Zoom Interface (Zoom Screen, Zoomable User Interface, ZUI)
- A user interface technique that allows users to magnify a portion of the screen to increase the effective size of interface elements, making them easier to select with low-precision pointing devices s…