Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
72 results found in user experience.
- Accessibility Feature Discovery (Feature Discoverability, Accessibility Awareness)
- The process by which users learn about, find, and activate accessibility features available on their devices or in software. Research shows that the vast majority of users — particularly older adults …
- Accessibility-in-Use (Accessibility in Use)
- A concept describing how well accessibility metrics predict the actual effects that real accessibility problems will have on the quality of interaction as perceived by real users when interacting with…
- Adaptive Hypermedia (AH, Adaptive Hypermedia Systems, AHS)
- Interactive systems that build a model of each user's goals, knowledge, preferences, and context, then use this model to automatically adapt the content, presentation, and navigation of hypermedia doc…
- Adaptive User Interface (Adaptive UI, Self-Adapting Interface, Intelligent User Interface)
- A user interface that automatically modifies its behavior, presentation, or content based on observed user characteristics, interaction patterns, or context of use. In accessibility, adaptive interfac…
- Affective Engagement (Emotional Engagement)
- The emotional connection and investment a user develops with a task, activity, or technology. In accessibility and therapeutic contexts, affective engagement goes beyond usability to encompass motivat…
- Age-friendly design (Senior-friendly design, Gerontechnology design)
- A design approach that specifically addresses the perceptual, cognitive, and motor changes associated with aging, including larger fonts, simplified interfaces, reduced jargon, higher contrast, and mi…
- Alarm Fatigue (Alert Fatigue, Notification Fatigue)
- A phenomenon in which an individual becomes desensitised to alarms, alerts, or notifications due to their excessive frequency, repetitive nature, or lack of meaningful context, leading the person to i…
- Anchoring Effect (Anchoring Bias, Cognitive Anchoring)
- A cognitive bias in which people rely too heavily on an initial piece of information (the "anchor") when making subsequent decisions or judgements. In the context of digital accessibility, the anchori…
- Assistive Technology Abandonment (AT Abandonment, Technology Discontinuance)
- The phenomenon of users with disabilities ceasing to use an assistive technology device or system after initial adoption. Research identifies several predictors of abandonment, including failure to co…
- Auditory Interface (Audio Interface, Aural Interface, Non-Visual Interface)
- A user interface that conveys information and accepts input primarily through sound rather than visual displays. Auditory interfaces range from simple screen reader output to complex auditory environm…
- Auditory Satisfaction
- The overall positive emotional and cognitive response users experience after engaging with audio content, encompassing contentment with auditory features, narration style, and technical quality. In ac…
- Browsing Fatigue (Navigation Fatigue, Screen Reader Fatigue)
- Physical and cognitive exhaustion experienced by users — particularly screen reader users and those with motor impairments — when navigating web content through repetitive, effortful interactions. For…
- Cognitive Overload (Information Overload, Cognitive Load)
- A state in which the amount of information or the complexity of a task exceeds a person's processing capacity, leading to reduced performance, comprehension, or decision-making ability. In accessibili…
- Comprehensibility (Comprehension, Intelligibility)
- The degree to which users can understand and retain the key elements of content, including events, characters, actions, settings, and narrative progression. In audio-described media for visually impai…
- Context of Use (Use Context, Usage Context)
- The combination of users, tasks, equipment (hardware, software, and materials), and the physical and social environments in which a product or service is used. In accessibility, context of use is a cr…
- Coping Strategies (Coping Tactics, Workaround Strategies)
- The techniques and approaches that users with disabilities develop to navigate around accessibility barriers they encounter on the web and in digital interfaces. Expert screen reader users, for exampl…
- Coping Strategy (Coping Behavior, Adaptive Strategy)
- A behavioral pattern or workaround that users with disabilities employ when encountering inaccessible digital content or interfaces. Coping strategies emerge when technology fails to meet accessibilit…
- Digital Self-Efficacy (Technology Self-Efficacy, Computer Self-Efficacy)
- An individual's belief in their ability to effectively use digital technologies to accomplish tasks. Digital self-efficacy influences how people approach technology challenges, persist through difficu…
- Ecological Validity
- In user experience research, the degree to which a mediated experience feels natural, realistic, and believable—as if it could occur in a real-world context. In immersion measurement frameworks like t…
- Emotional Engagement (Affective Engagement)
- The degree to which a user connects emotionally with content, characters, and narrative, experiencing feelings such as excitement, tension, empathy, humor, or sadness in response to the media. In acce…