Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
113 results found in human-computer interaction.
- AI Mental Model (Mental Model of AI, User Mental Model of AI)
- A user's conceptual representation of how an artificial intelligence system works, including beliefs about its information sources, processing methods, capabilities, and limitations. Mental models of …
- Ability requirement (Ability demand, Interaction prerequisite)
- A capability that a person must possess in order to use a technology system, created implicitly by the system's design. AI systems generate new ability requirements: voice assistants require recogniza…
- Ability-Based Design (ABD)
- A design philosophy that focuses on what users can do rather than what they cannot, adapting systems to leverage each individual's specific abilities. Instead of designing for a "typical" user and the…
- Affordance (Perceived affordance)
- A property of an object or environment that suggests how it can be used, originally defined by psychologist James J. Gibson in 1977 as the actionable possibilities between an actor and their environme…
- Agency (User Agency, Sense of Agency)
- The capacity to act, make choices, and exert control over one's own life and environment. In disability studies, agency is distinguished from independence — a person can have agency (the ability to ma…
- Ambisonics (Ambisonic audio, Ambisonic sound)
- A full-sphere surround sound technique that captures and reproduces audio from all directions — including above and below the listener — using a spherical harmonic representation of the sound field. O…
- Anthropomorphism (Humanization, Anthropomorphization)
- The attribution of human characteristics, emotions, intentions, or behaviors to non-human entities such as technology, animals, or objects. In assistive technology and conversational AI design, anthro…
- 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…
- Assent (Informed assent, Child assent)
- A participant's affirmative agreement to take part in research, used when the individual cannot legally provide informed consent — most commonly children or people with certain cognitive disabilities.…
- Binaural audio (Binaural sound, Binaural recording, 3D audio)
- An audio reproduction method that uses two channels to create a three-dimensional sound experience when listened to through headphones. Binaural recordings capture or simulate the way human ears natur…
- Chunking
- In cognitive science and human-computer interaction, chunking refers to the mental strategy of grouping individual items of information into larger, unified units (chunks) to reduce working memory loa…
- Closed-Loop Adaptation (Closed-Loop System, Adaptive Loop)
- A system design approach where real-time feedback from sensors or user behavior is continuously monitored and used to automatically adjust the system's response. In accessibility technology, closed-lo…
- Co-Embodiment (Shared Embodiment, Collaborative Embodiment)
- A design concept where multiple users jointly control or inhabit a single virtual body or avatar, each contributing different aspects of the character's movements or actions. In CoSignPlay, co-embodim…
- Cognitive load (Mental load, Cognitive burden, Cognitive demand)
- The total amount of mental effort required to complete a task, encompassing the processing of information, decision-making, remembering instructions, and managing attention. Cognitive load theory, dev…
- Context-Aware Computing (Context Awareness, Situational Awareness Computing)
- Computing systems that can sense and adapt their behavior based on the user's current context, including location, activity, environment, and task state. In accessibility, context-aware systems go bey…
- Context-Aware Interface (Context-Sensitive Interface, Adaptive Interface)
- A user interface that dynamically adapts its content, features, or behavior based on the user's current context, such as their location, current task, time of day, or the website they are visiting. In…
- Critical Design (Critical Design Framework, Design Through Critique)
- A research through design methodology that foregrounds the ethics of design practice, reveals potentially hidden agendas and values, and explores alternative design values. In accessibility research, …
- Cyborg (Cybernetic Organism)
- A being that integrates both organic and technological components, extending human capabilities through mechanical or digital augmentation. In disability studies and accessibility research, the cyborg…
- Design probe (Technology probe, Cultural probe)
- A research methodology in human-computer interaction where a prototype or artefact is deployed with participants not primarily to test usability, but to provoke reflection, surface unanticipated needs…
- Direct Manipulation (Direct Manipulation Interface, DMI)
- An interaction style in human-computer interfaces where users directly act on visible objects rather than issuing commands. Key characteristics include continuous representation of objects, physical a…