Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
183 results found in research methods.
- Need-Finding Interview (Need-Finding Study, Needs Assessment Interview)
- A qualitative research method conducted early in the design process to understand users' current practices, challenges, unmet needs, and desires for future solutions. Need-finding interviews typically…
- Observational Study (Field Observation, Naturalistic Observation)
- A research method in which investigators systematically watch and record behaviors, interactions, and practices in a natural setting without manipulating variables or conditions. In accessibility rese…
- POMDP (Partially Observable Markov Decision Process)
- A Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP) is a mathematical framework for modelling decision-making in situations where an agent cannot fully observe the state of its environment. In acce…
- PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses)
- A standardized methodology and reporting guideline for conducting systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses. PRISMA provides a structured framework including a checklist and flow diagram that do…
- Participant Recruitment (Research Recruitment, Subject Recruitment)
- The process of identifying, inviting, and enrolling individuals to participate in research studies. In accessibility research, participant recruitment presents unique challenges including ensuring int…
- Participant Verification (Eligibility Verification, Screening Verification)
- The process of confirming that research participants genuinely meet a study's eligibility criteria, particularly regarding disability status. Verification is complicated by multiple factors: different…
- Participant pool (User pool, Research panel, Participant registry)
- A pre-established database of individuals who have expressed willingness to participate in research studies, maintained with demographic information, contact details, and often cognitive or ability as…
- Participant pool bias (Sampling bias, Recruitment bias)
- Systematic distortion in research findings caused by the demographic characteristics and backgrounds of study participants, rather than by the technology or intervention being evaluated. In accessibil…
- Participant-led research (User-led research)
- A research methodology in which participants — particularly those from marginalized or underrepresented groups — take an active role in directing the research process, shaping study protocols, and det…
- Participatory Evaluation (PE)
- A research approach in which the people affected by a program, technology, or intervention are actively involved in evaluating it, rather than being passive subjects of assessment. In accessibility re…
- Participatory Research (Participatory Design Research, Participatory Action Research)
- Research methodologies that actively involve the communities being studied as partners in the research process, from defining research questions to collecting data to interpreting findings. In accessi…
- Positionality (Researcher Positionality)
- The practice of researchers explicitly acknowledging how their own identities, experiences, backgrounds, and power positions shape their research process, analysis, and interpretations. In disability …
- Postcolonial Computing
- A critical framework that examines how technology design and adoption can perpetuate subtle dimensions of coloniality, under-represent certain regions such as the Global South and Indigenous societies…
- Probabilistic Sampling (Random Sampling, Statistical Sampling)
- A sampling method in which every member of a population has a known, non-zero probability of being selected for the sample. In accessibility evaluation, probabilistic sampling of web pages allows audi…
- Procedural task analysis (Task decomposition, Step-by-step analysis)
- A method of breaking down complex tasks into sequential, discrete steps to understand user workflows and identify points of difficulty. In accessibility contexts, procedural task analysis reveals wher…
- Prolific
- An online participant recruitment platform used in academic research that allows researchers to screen and recruit participants based on demographic criteria including disability status. Prolific and …
- Proxy User (Proxy Participant, Surrogate User)
- A person without a disability who participates in research or usability testing as a stand-in for the intended end user with a disability. Proxies are commonly used in AAC and assistive technology res…
- Purposive Sampling (Purposeful Sampling, Judgment Sampling)
- A non-probability sampling method in which researchers deliberately select participants based on specific characteristics relevant to the research questions. In accessibility research, purposive sampl…
- Qualitative Coding (Thematic Coding, Open Coding, Axial Coding)
- A systematic research method for analyzing qualitative data (such as interview transcripts, survey responses, or text outputs) by assigning labels or codes to segments of data that represent meaningfu…
- Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA)
- A qualitative data analysis method developed by Braun and Clarke that involves open-coding transcripts, identifying patterns, and organizing findings into themes through iterative refinement. Reflexiv…