Glossary

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Ability Assumptions(also: Ability-Based Assumptions, Normative Assumptions)

Ability assumptions are the implicit expectations that technology designers build into systems about users' physical, sensory, and cognitive capabilities. These assumptions — about how fast someone moves, their range of motion, body proportions, grip strength, speech patterns,…

Ability-Based Design(also: 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 then adding accessibility accommodations, ability-based design starts from the…

Abundant Design(also: Abundant UI Design)

A design approach for cognitively accessible interfaces in which primary actions are represented by multiple redundant cues — short text, an icon, a distinctive color, and ample size — so users can identify the control through whichever channel suits them. Contrasts with minimal…

Access-Stabilising Support

A design framing, introduced by Bhuiyan et al. (2026), that positions AI in Deaf education not as an autonomous translator or replacement instructor but as a mediated tool whose role is to preserve visual access, reinforce teacher-validated signs, and sustain comprehension…

Agentive Amplifier

A framing of technical artefacts, proposed by Oosterlaken and Van Den Hoven, as things that create possibilities a person would not otherwise have — extending, not replacing, the user's own agency. Under this view the ethical significance of a technology is judged by how it…

Assistive Technology Mainstreaming(also: Mainstreaming, AT Mainstreaming)

A design philosophy and practice where assistive technology features are integrated into mainstream consumer products rather than developed as separate, specialized devices. Examples include smartphones with built-in screen readers, tablets used for AAC, and headphones that also…

Classical Aesthetics(also: Classical Design Aesthetics)

A dimension of visual aesthetics in web design characterised by simplicity, clarity, orderliness, and visual cleanness. Classical aesthetic principles are rooted in early visual design traditions that prioritise clean layouts, minimal complexity, and clear organisation of…

Cognitive Artifact(also: Cognitive Artefact)

An artificial device — physical or digital — designed or appropriated to maintain, display, or operate on information in ways that support human cognitive performance. The term was codified by Don Norman to describe how objects like calendars, shopping lists, sticky notes,…

Context-Aware(also: Context-Aware Design, Context-Sensitive)

An approach to designing systems, content, or interfaces that adapt their behavior or output based on the context in which they are used, including the user's goals, the platform or source where content appears, environmental conditions, and user preferences. In accessibility,…

Crosscutting Concern(also: Cross-Cutting Concern)

In software engineering, a crosscutting concern is a requirement or feature that affects multiple modules of a system and cannot be cleanly decomposed into a single component. Accessibility is a classic crosscutting concern because requirements like providing text alternatives,…

Design for Dynamic Diversity(also: D3, DDD)

A design paradigm proposed by Gregor, Newell, and Zajicek (2002) that explicitly accounts for the fact that human abilities are not static but change dynamically over time, particularly as people age. Unlike traditional approaches that design for a fixed "typical" user or treat…

Dialogue Design(also: Interaction Dialogue, User Dialogue Design)

Dialogue design in human-computer interaction refers to the structured planning of the conversational exchange between a user and a system, defining how input is accepted, how the system responds, and how errors are handled across interaction turns. In accessible interface…

Expressive Aesthetics(also: Expressive Design Aesthetics)

A dimension of visual aesthetics in web design characterised by creativity, originality, visual sophistication, and design ingenuity. Identified by Lavie and Tractinsky as one of two main dimensions of perceived web aesthetics, expressive designs tend to be more complex and…

Gestalt Grouping Principles(also: Gestalt Principles, Gestalt Laws of Perceptual Organization)

A set of principles from perceptual psychology that describe how the human visual system organizes individual elements into coherent groups and patterns. Key principles include spatial proximity (elements near each other are perceived as related), connectedness (elements joined…

Graceful degradation(also: Graceful degradation)

A design strategy in which web content built with newer or advanced technologies continues to function and remain accessible when those technologies are not supported by a user's browser or assistive technology. Under WCAG 2.0, technologies that are not accessibility-supported…

Human-AI Interaction(also: HAI, Human-AI Collaboration, AI Interaction Design)

The study and design of how people interact with artificial intelligence systems, including how AI communicates its outputs, uncertainty, and limitations to users. Key principles include making AI behavior transparent, supporting user correction of errors, acknowledging…

Human-Centered Computing(also: Human-Centred Computing, People-Centered Computing)

Human-centered computing is an approach to technology design and development that places human needs, capabilities, and experiences at the center of the design process. It emphasizes understanding the full diversity of human physical, sensory, and cognitive abilities, and…

Inclusive Thinking

A design and problem-solving mindset that treats the needs of people with diverse abilities as a core consideration from the outset of a project, rather than as an afterthought or accommodation added later. Inclusive thinking goes beyond technical knowledge of accessibility…

Interface Consistency(also: Consistent Navigation, Consistent Identification, UI Consistency)

Interface consistency is a design principle requiring that navigational mechanisms, visual layouts, and interactive components appear and behave in the same way across different pages, screens, or applications. In accessibility, consistency is critical because users who rely on…

Jakob's Law(also: Jakobs Law, Law of Familiarity)

A usability heuristic coined by Jakob Nielsen stating that users spend most of their time on other sites and expect your site to work like the ones they already know. Accessibility implication: novel interaction patterns impose higher cognitive load than familiar ones, so…

Multi-Modal(also: Multi-Modality, Multimodal Interaction)

An approach to presenting information or enabling interaction through multiple sensory channels simultaneously, such as combining visual, auditory, and tactile outputs. In accessibility, multi-modal design is particularly valuable because it allows users to access information…

Multi-Sensory Design(also: Multisensory Experience, Multi-Sensory Accessibility)

Multi-sensory design is an approach to creating experiences, environments, or products that engage multiple senses—touch, hearing, smell, taste, and sight—rather than relying predominantly on vision. In accessibility, multi-sensory design is essential for making visual content…

Notification Fatigue(also: Alert Fatigue, Information Overload)

Notification fatigue is a state in which users become desensitized to or overwhelmed by frequent alerts, notifications, or information delivery from a device or system, causing them to ignore or tune out important messages. In accessibility contexts, notification fatigue is a…

Nudge(also: Nudging)

A small change in the presentation, default, or framing of a choice that systematically influences decisions without removing options or significantly altering incentives. Introduced to behavioural economics by Thaler and Sunstein (2008) and grounded in Tversky and Kahneman's…

Ocularcentrism(also: Visual Bias, Vision-Centrism)

The privileging of visual perception and visual ways of knowing in the design of technologies, interfaces, and information systems. Ocularcentrism in technology design manifests when visual assumptions are embedded in systems that are intended to be accessible — for example,…

Opportunistic Accessibility(also: Opportunistic Accessibility Improvement)

Opportunistic accessibility is an approach to improving digital accessibility in which enhancements are automatically applied to the maximum extent possible without causing negative side effects. Rather than treating accessibility as an all-or-nothing goal, opportunistic…

Persuasive Technology(also: Captology, Behavior Change Technology)

Interactive computing systems designed to change users' attitudes or behaviors through persuasion rather than coercion. Common persuasive techniques include goal-setting, self-monitoring, rewards, reminders, and social comparison. While persuasive technology has shown success in…

Resilience(also: Psychological resilience, Dementia resilience)

Resilience refers to the dynamic capacity of an individual to adapt positively in the face of adversity and to maintain or recover a satisfactory level of psychological and functional well-being. In the context of dementia, resilience challenges deficit-based models that frame…

Risk-Free Exploration(also: Safe Exploration)

Risk-free exploration is a design principle for making touchscreen interfaces accessible to blind users by enabling them to explore the screen surface without accidentally triggering interface actions. On standard capacitive touchscreens, any finger contact can activate buttons,…

Situationally Induced Impairment(also: SIID, Situational Impairment, Situational Disability)

A temporary functional limitation caused by environmental or contextual factors rather than a permanent health condition or disability. Examples include difficulty using a phone while walking (reduced motor accuracy), inability to hear audio in a noisy environment, or screen…

Slow Design

Slow design is a design philosophy that emphasizes thoughtful, reflective, and sustained engagement over efficiency and speed. Inspired by the slow food movement, it values deeper contemplation, longer development timelines, and meaningful user experiences. In museum and gallery…

Social Marking(also: Stigma Marking, Social Visibility of Disability)

In accessibility contexts, social marking refers to the way assistive technologies or accommodations can draw unwanted attention to a person's disability, making their impairment visible in social situations where they might otherwise go unnoticed. Research has shown that users…

Story Completer

A design role for generative AI in storytelling, proposed by Niu, Clements, and Kim (2026), in which AI systems complete and enrich stories authored by human creators rather than generating full storylines or automating creative decisions. The concept is framed in contrast to AI…

Tactile Contrast

The degree of perceptible difference between adjacent or co-occurring tactile elements, analogous to visual contrast in graphic design. In tactile graphics, sufficient contrast between neighboring regions is essential for readers to identify boundaries and distinguish different…

Tailorability(also: Tailorable systems)

A design property, central to infrastructuring theory, that allows users to configure, extend, or repurpose a system after deployment to fit their local use context. Tailorability goes beyond 'customisation' by anticipating that users will adapt tools in ways their original…

Trauma-Informed Care(also: TIC, Trauma-Informed Approach)

A framework originating in social work practice that asks organisations and service providers to recognise the widespread impact of trauma on the people they serve and to integrate that understanding into their policies, procedures, and interactions. Rather than directly…

Universal Design(also: UD, Design for All, Inclusive Design)

Universal Design is the design philosophy and practice of creating products, environments, and systems that are usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. Originating in architecture through the work of Ronald…

Universal Usability

An approach to technology design that aims to make systems usable by the widest possible range of people, including children, older adults, people with various impairments, people engaged in other tasks, and users with differing levels of education, literacy, and socio-economic…

Universe of One(also: Universe-of-One, Personalized Prompting)

A design approach in assistive technology where content, prompts, and guidance are tailored to each individual user rather than providing generic or standardized instructions. The concept is particularly important for people with cognitive impairments, who often struggle with…

Usability Heuristics(also: Nielsen's Heuristics, Nielsen Heuristics, 10 Usability Heuristics)

A set of ten general principles for user interface design developed by Jakob Nielsen (originally with Rolf Molich in 1990, refined in 1994): visibility of system status, match between system and the real world, user control and freedom, consistency and standards, error…

Visual Assistant(also: Visual Assistant Skill)

Proposed by Gonzalez Penuela et al. (2026), the 'visual assistant' skill is a set of behaviours that an AI visual interpretation system must exhibit — beyond simply producing accurate captions — to meaningfully support blind and low-vision users in daily life. The nine proposed…

Visual Information Seeking Mantra(also: Overview First, Shneiderman's Mantra)

A design principle for information visualisation coined by Ben Shneiderman, summarised as "overview first, zoom and filter, then details-on-demand." The mantra describes an optimal pattern for presenting complex information: start with a broad overview so users can orient…

Visual substitution(also: Sensory substitution, Vision substitution)

Visual substitution is a design strategy in assistive technology that replaces visual information with output in another sensory modality, such as audio descriptions, haptic feedback, or tactile representations. It contrasts with visual enhancement, which amplifies or augments…

WYSIWYG(also: What You See Is What You Get)

An acronym for "What You See Is What You Get," describing a user interface paradigm where content displayed on screen during editing closely resembles the final output (such as a printed document). While WYSIWYG editors are standard in word processing, they can present…

Walk-up-and-use System(also: Walk-up-and-use Design, Zero Training Interface)

A design paradigm for public access systems where any user should be able to successfully complete tasks without prior training, instruction, or experience with the specific system. Walk-up-and-use systems must accommodate users with diverse abilities, technology experience, and…

White Glove Service

A hospitality concept denoting personalized, detail-oriented service characterized by five qualities: anticipatory assistance (acting before being asked), discretion and privacy, attention to detail, personalization, and seamless problem resolution. In accessibility and…

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