Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
20 results found in user interface design.
- Accessibility Focus (A11y Focus, Screen Reader Focus)
- The currently selected element in a user interface as perceived by a screen reader or other assistive technology. When an element has accessibility focus, the screen reader announces its description a…
- Artboard (Canvas, Slide Canvas, 2-D Canvas)
- An artboard is a two-dimensional digital workspace used in presentation software (PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote), graphic design tools, and whiteboard applications where objects like text boxes, …
- Assessment Descriptor (Visual Attribute Descriptor)
- Brief visual attributes of objects — such as color, size, dimensions, and distance from the user — provided alongside obfuscated or spotlighted content to help users verify whether privacy techniques …
- Audio Tone (Auditory Cue, Earcon)
- Non-speech audio signals used to convey information such as the presence, location, or status of objects or interface elements. In accessibility contexts, audio tones can supplement or replace verbal …
- Confidence Score (Confidence Rating, Certainty Score)
- A numerical measure output by AI systems indicating how certain the system is about a particular result or classification. While confidence scores have been proposed as a way to help users assess AI a…
- Design System (Component Library, UI Kit)
- A collection of reusable components, patterns, guidelines, and assets that together define the visual language and interaction standards for a product or organization. Design systems typically include…
- Digital Nudge (Technology Nudge, Behavioral Nudge)
- Design elements in digital interfaces that subtly guide users toward particular behaviors or decisions. In privacy contexts, nudges might suggest obfuscating detected sensitive content or prompt users…
- 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…
- Freeze Frame (Video Thumbnail, ASL Freeze Frame)
- In the context of ASL video interfaces, a freeze frame is a static image captured at a recognizable moment of an ASL sign, used as a visual label or thumbnail for video content. Freeze frames allow De…
- Heads-Up Display (HUD)
- A transparent or overlay display that presents information in the user's direct line of sight without requiring them to look away from their current viewpoint. Originally developed for aviation, HUDs …
- Human Machine Interface (HMI, Human-Computer Interface)
- The point of interaction between a human user and a machine, encompassing all hardware and software through which users control and receive feedback from a system. In accessible design, HMIs must supp…
- Model-Based User Interface (MBUI, Model-Based UI)
- An approach to user interface design where the interface is generated or adapted automatically from abstract models that describe the tasks users need to perform, the data domain, the user's character…
- Multimodal Interface (Multimodal Interaction, Multi-Modal UI)
- A multimodal interface is a system that communicates with users through multiple sensory channels simultaneously, such as speech, haptic feedback, sound, vibration, and visual output. In accessible na…
- Picture-in-Picture (PiP, PIP)
- A display technique that shows a smaller video or content window overlaid on the main content, allowing viewers to see two sources simultaneously. In accessibility contexts, picture-in-picture is the …
- Pluggable User Interface (Pluggable UI, Alternative User Interface)
- A pluggable user interface is an interchangeable interface component that can be swapped in or out of an application without changing the application's core functionality. In the Universal Remote Cons…
- Privacy Alert (Privacy Notification, Privacy Warning)
- A notification informing users about the potential presence of private or sensitive content in their captured images or video. Privacy alerts aim to prompt users to apply obfuscation or take other pro…
- Target Size (Touch Target Size, Click Target Size, Hit Area)
- The physical dimensions of an interactive element on screen — such as a link, button, or checkbox — that a user must point to and activate. Adequate target size is critical for users with motor impair…
- Visual Fidelity (Graphical Fidelity, VF)
- The degree to which a virtual environment replicates the visual detail, realism, and complexity of real-world settings. In accessibility contexts, visual fidelity affects cognitive load and task perfo…
- Visual Layout Customization (Layout Customization, Video Layout Arrangement)
- The ability for users to rearrange, resize, reposition, lock, or remove visual elements in a digital interface to suit their individual needs. In videoconferencing, visual layout customization is crit…
- Z-Order (Stacking Order, Layer Order)
- Z-order refers to the front-to-back layering sequence of overlapping objects on a 2-D digital canvas, determining which objects appear in front of or behind others. In accessibility, Z-order is signif…