Glossary

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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…

Throughput(also: Throughput (Fitts), Pointing Throughput)

In human-computer interaction, throughput is a combined speed-accuracy metric derived from Fitts's law that measures the efficiency of aimed pointing movements, expressed in bits per second (bps). It is calculated by dividing the index of difficulty (a function of target…

Unobtrusive Interaction(also: Unobtrusive Interfaces)

A design orientation, associated with ambient, wearable, and assistive-technology research, that aims to minimise disruption to users' natural behaviour, attention, and social presence. Rather than demanding foreground engagement (pulling up a phone, pressing through menus,…

User Engagement Scale(also: UES, UES-SF)

A validated self-report questionnaire for measuring user engagement with digital systems across dimensions including focused attention, perceived usability, aesthetic appeal, and reward. Developed by O'Brien and Toms and later shortened to the 12-item UES Short Form (UES-SF),…

Vignette Study(also: Vignette-Based Method, Vignette)

A research method in which participants are presented with short, carefully constructed scenarios describing hypothetical or realistic social situations, then asked to make judgments about appropriateness, fairness, emotional impact, or likely outcomes. Vignettes are widely used…

Within-Subjects Study(also: Within-subject study, Repeated-measures design)

An experimental design in which every participant experiences every condition being compared, so each person acts as their own control. Within-subjects studies increase statistical power with smaller samples and remove between-person variance, but must counterbalance order (e.g.…

Wizard-of-Oz Study(also: Wizard of Oz, WoZ Study, Wizard-of-Oz Method)

A Wizard-of-Oz study is a research method in human-computer interaction where participants interact with a system they believe is autonomous, but which is actually being partially or fully operated by a human researcher (the "wizard") behind the scenes. This technique is…