Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
91 results found in design.
- Orthographic Projection (Parallel Projection)
- A method of representing a three-dimensional object in two dimensions by projecting its features onto a flat plane using parallel lines perpendicular to that plane, eliminating perspective distortion.…
- Parametric design (Parametric modeling)
- A design approach in which objects are defined by adjustable parameters (dimensions, angles, ratios) rather than direct geometric manipulation, allowing users to customize designs by changing numerica…
- Participatory design (Co-design, PD, Cooperative design)
- A design methodology originating from Scandinavian workplace practices in the 1970s in which end users, stakeholders, and designers collaborate as equal partners throughout the design process. In acce…
- Perceptualisation (Perceptualization)
- A multi-sensory display of abstract information, inferred by Nesbitt to be a fundamentally human quality. Where visualisation presents abstract data through the visual design space (charts, graphs, ma…
- Persuasive Technology (Behaviour Change Technology, Behavior Change Technology)
- Technology designed to change users' attitudes or behaviours through persuasion and social influence rather than coercion. In health and wellness contexts, persuasive technologies use strategies such …
- Playification
- A design strategy that transforms routine or clinical tasks into playful, engaging experiences without relying solely on competitive game mechanics like points and leaderboards. Unlike gamification, w…
- Proxemics (Interpersonal distance, Personal space)
- The study of how people use and perceive physical space in social interactions, originally defined by anthropologist Edward T. Hall in 1966. Hall identified four distance zones: intimate (0–45 cm), pe…
- Reification
- The process of making concrete that which is abstract. A photograph is a reification of a moment in time and place, with all the selectivity and distortion that the lens and framing impose. A web page…
- Research Through Design (RtD)
- A research methodology in which the design process itself serves as a mode of inquiry, generating knowledge through the iterative creation and evaluation of artifacts, systems, or experiences. Unlike …
- Self-adapting user interface (Adaptive user interface, Adaptive UI)
- A user interface that dynamically modifies its presentation, interaction modalities, or behaviour in response to changing conditions such as user capabilities, environmental factors, device characteri…
- Semantic decomposition
- An analysis method that models a system as a hierarchy of ontological dependencies based on meaning and conceptual relationships, rather than breaking it down by functional tasks. In user interface de…
- Sensory erasure (Sensory exclusion)
- The systematic marginalization or elimination of non-visual sensory modalities in the design of technologies, interfaces, and information systems. Sensory erasure occurs when platforms treat visual in…
- Signer Placement (Interpreter Placement)
- The spatial positioning of a sign language interpreter or signing instructor relative to instructional content in a video, videoconference, or immersive environment. Common arrangements include a side…
- Socio-Technical Aspirations
- Individual- or community-driven ambition and desire to own or use a specific technology for personal benefit or societal acceptance or both. This concept, introduced by Sharma et al. (2020) as an exte…
- Sonic design space (Auditory design space)
- The physical medium related to human hearing through which a user and device may interact. The sonic design space encompasses speech (both natural and synthesised), non-speech audio such as earcons an…
- Sonification (Auditory display, Data sonification)
- The use of non-speech audio to represent information, data, or environmental characteristics. In accessibility, sonification provides an alternative or complement to visual displays, encoding spatial,…
- Spatial substrate
- A framework describing the orientation and positioning of information within a design space, using axes and a coordinate system appropriate to how a user perceives content in that space. In the visual…
- Stakeholder Research (Stakeholder Analysis, Stakeholder Involvement)
- A research approach that identifies and engages all parties who have an interest in or are affected by a technology, product, or service. In accessibility research, stakeholder research involves consu…
- Technosolutionism (Technological solutionism, Techno-solutionism, Tech solutionism)
- The belief that complex social problems, including disability, can and should be solved primarily through technology. Popularised by Evgeny Morozov, the term describes a mindset that strips nuance fro…
- Temporal encoding
- The representation of information through change over time within a spatial substrate. In the visual design space, temporal encoding corresponds to animation — a point or shape moving, appearing, or c…