Glossary

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

113 results found in human-computer interaction.

User model (User modeling, User modelling)
A computational representation of a user's characteristics, abilities, preferences, and behavior patterns, used to predict how they will interact with a system or to adapt an interface to their needs.…
Value Sensitive Design (VSD)
A design methodology that accounts for human values in a principled and systematic way throughout the technology design process. Value Sensitive Design integrates three types of investigation: concept…
Virtual reality (VR, Immersive virtual environment)
A computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional environment that users can interact with using specialized hardware such as head-mounted displays and motion controllers. Virtual reality present…
Vision-based Page Segmentation (VIPS)
A web page segmentation algorithm that uses both the source code and the visual presentation of a web page to divide it into hierarchical visual blocks. VIPS produces a tree structure where the root n…
Visual Attention Split (Split Attention, Divided Visual Attention)
The cognitive challenge of needing to divide visual focus between two or more sources of information simultaneously. For deaf and hard of hearing people, visual attention split is a pervasive accessib…
Visual search
The perceptual task of scanning a visual scene to locate a specific target among distractors. Visual search is significantly affected by low vision, visual field loss, and other visual impairments, as…
Voice Interaction (Voice User Interface, VUI, Voice-Based Interaction)
An interaction paradigm where users communicate with technology primarily through spoken commands and receive audio responses, rather than using visual displays, keyboards, or touch screens. Voice int…
Voice-First Design (Voice-First Interface, Audio-First Design)
A design approach for applications and interfaces where voice is the primary input and output modality, with visual elements being secondary or absent. Voice-first design is particularly relevant for …
Web Page Segmentation (Page Segmentation, Visual Page Segmentation)
The process of dividing a web page into its constituent visual blocks or semantic regions, such as headers, navigation menus, content areas, sidebars, and footers. Segmentation algorithms analyse both…
Webcam-Based Interaction (Camera-Based Interaction, Video-Based Input)
An interaction paradigm where users communicate with a computer system through a webcam or camera, using gestures, sign language, facial expressions, or body movements as input. In accessibility conte…
Wizard of Oz Study (WOZ Study, Wizard of Oz Method)
A research method in which participants interact with what they believe is an automated system, but which is actually operated in whole or in part by a human "wizard" hidden from view. The method is u…
Wizard-of-Oz study (WoZ study, Wizard of Oz method)
A research methodology in which participants interact with a system they believe is automated, but which is actually operated partially or fully by a hidden human operator (the "wizard"). This approac…
Workspace Awareness (Collaborator Awareness, Shared Workspace Awareness)
The up-to-the-moment understanding of another person's interactions within a shared workspace, including their location, actions, and intentions. In collaborative software development, workspace aware…