Glossary

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Prototyping(also: Prototype)

The iterative creation of tangible, interactive representations of a design - ranging from paper sketches and cardboard mock-ups to functional software builds - used to explore ideas, elicit feedback, and test assumptions before committing to a final product. In accessibility…

Proxy stakeholder(also: Proxy informant, Proxy respondent)

In requirements engineering and participatory design, a proxy stakeholder is a person—such as a caregiver, support worker, family member, or healthcare professional—who actively mediates, interprets, and scaffolds technology use on behalf of a primary user who faces barriers to…

Psychological Accessibility

A dimension of accessibility concerned with whether users find a product or service useful, appropriate, and satisfying, beyond being merely technically operable. Psychological accessibility addresses factors such as user confidence, willingness to engage with technology, and…

Queer Theory in HCI(also: Queering HCI, Queer Design)

The application of queer theory to human-computer interaction research and design, challenging heteronormative and binary assumptions embedded in technology. Queer theory in HCI questions how technologies enforce normative identities around gender, sexuality, and embodiment, and…

Requirements engineering(also: RE, Requirements elicitation)

Requirements engineering (RE) is the systematic process of identifying, documenting, analysing, and managing the needs and constraints that a software system must satisfy. It encompasses elicitation techniques (interviews, workshops, prototyping, observation), specification…

Retrofit Accessibility(also: Accessibility Retrofitting, Bolt-On Accessibility)

The practice of adding accessibility features to a product, system, or interface after it has already been designed and built for non-disabled users. Retrofit accessibility often results in suboptimal experiences because the fundamental interaction paradigms may be misaligned…

Reverse Inclusion

A design approach that begins with the lived experience and needs of a person with a disability and then expands the design outward to include broader social circles and communities. Reverse inclusion inverts the typical inclusive design process, which starts from neurotypical…

Science Communication(also: SciComm, Science Outreach)

The practice of informing, educating, and engaging public audiences about scientific topics and findings. Accessible science communication ensures that people with disabilities can participate fully in science learning through accommodations such as tactile models, audio…

Sense of Agency(also: User Agency, Personal Agency)

The subjective experience of being in control of one's own actions and their effects on the external world. In accessible design, supporting sense of agency means ensuring users feel empowered to make choices, initiate interactions, and influence outcomes rather than being…

Sighted Bias(also: Visual Bias, Ocularcentrism)

The tendency in technology design to privilege sighted ways of perceiving and understanding the world, often unconsciously centering visual sensibilities in interfaces, descriptions, and assessment criteria. In accessibility contexts, sighted bias manifests when designers create…

Sighted-Centric Design(also: Vision-Centric Design)

Design approaches and practices that privilege sighted sensemaking and marginalize blind and non-visual ways of relating to the world. Sighted-centered design produces technologies, interfaces, and descriptive standards that assume visual perception as the default mode of…

Simplified Interface(also: Reduced Complexity Interface, Easy Mode)

A user interface design that intentionally reduces the number of features, options, and interaction steps to make a product or service accessible to users who would be overwhelmed by a standard interface. Simplified interfaces typically remove non-essential functionality,…

Simulation Glasses(also: Cataract Glasses, Vision Simulation Glasses, Low-Vision Simulation Goggles)

Simulation glasses are wearable lenses or goggles that reproduce the functional visual experience of specific eye conditions — cataracts, macular degeneration, glaucoma, hemianopia, and others — by blurring, smearing, adding central scotomas, or restricting the field of view.…

Situational Disability(also: Situational Impairment, Contextual Disability)

A temporary limitation in ability caused by environmental or situational factors rather than a medical condition. Examples include being unable to hear audio in a noisy environment, having limited dexterity while carrying items, or experiencing reduced vision in bright sunlight.…

Situational Disability(also: Situational Impairment, Situational Limitation, SIID)

A temporary reduction in ability caused by a person's environment or context rather than a permanent condition. Examples include difficulty reading a screen in bright sunlight (visual), being unable to listen to audio in a noisy environment (auditory), or having limited…

Situational Disability(also: Situational Impairment, Contextual Disability)

A temporary limitation in ability caused by environmental circumstances rather than a permanent condition. Examples include being unable to read a screen in bright sunlight (visual), not hearing audio in a noisy environment (auditory), being unable to use two hands while…

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

A temporary reduction in a person's ability to interact with technology caused by their environment or context rather than a permanent condition. Examples include using a phone in bright sunlight (visual), operating a device while carrying groceries (motor), or trying to hear…

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 Acceptability(also: Social Acceptance, Technology Stigma)

The degree to which the use of an assistive technology or interaction technique is perceived as socially appropriate by both the user and those around them. Social acceptability is a critical but often underestimated factor in assistive technology adoption. Users may reject…

Social Inclusion(also: Social Integration, Community Inclusion)

The process of ensuring that people with disabilities can fully participate in social, cultural, and community activities on an equal basis with others. Social inclusion goes beyond physical access to encompass meaningful participation, belonging, and the ability to contribute.…

Social usability

The degree to which a technology supports positive social interactions and self-presentation for its users, particularly in contexts where technology use is visible to others. Social usability goes beyond functional task completion to consider whether using a product causes…

Somatic Design(also: Soma-Centric Design, Body-Centric Design)

A design approach that prioritizes bodily experience, physical sensation, and embodied perception as primary channels for interaction and understanding. Somatic design shifts the focus from purely cognitive or visual interfaces to ones that engage the whole body, drawing on…

Storyboarding(also: Storyboard)

A visual narrative technique, adapted from film, in which a sequence of sketched panels depicts how a user will interact with a product, service, or environment over time. Storyboards make abstract scenarios concrete and shareable, helping teams and co-designers discuss context,…

Support Network(also: Support Worker, Support Person, Circle of Support)

The caregivers, family members, support workers, teachers, and peers who assist a person with a disability in daily life and in participating in research or design activities. In inclusive co-design with people with intellectual or cognitive disabilities, support networks often…

Symbiotic Learning

Symbiotic Learning is a conceptual framing introduced by Jiang et al. (CHI 2026) describing a mode of mixed-ability family learning in which parents and children mutually enable each other's participation and development through AI-mediated communication. Rather than positioning…

Tactile Exhibit(also: Touch Exhibit, Hands-On Exhibit, Tactile Display)

A museum or gallery exhibit designed to be explored through touch rather than sight, allowing visitors to physically interact with objects, models, or replicas. Tactile exhibits are particularly important for accessibility as they enable blind and low-vision visitors to…

Tactile Icon(also: Tactile Symbol, 3D Icon, Raised Icon)

A small raised or three-dimensional symbol placed on a tactile map or diagram that represents a real-world object, location, or concept through touch. Tactile icons can be abstract (geometric shapes requiring a legend) or representational (physically resembling the object they…

Tangible Design Language(also: Physical Design Language)

An approach to design communication that uses physical objects, props, and prototypes to enable participants to express their needs, ideas, and preferences through hands-on interaction rather than abstract verbal or written descriptions. Tangible design languages are especially…

Tangible Technology(also: Tangible Interface, Tangible User Interface, TUI)

Technology that connects physical objects to digital systems, allowing users to interact with computing through touching, manipulating, and moving real-world objects rather than through screens or keyboards. Tangible technologies are particularly valuable in accessibility…

Technology Empowerment(also: User Empowerment, Disability Technology Empowerment)

An approach to accessibility that goes beyond user-centered design to actively train and support people with disabilities to become technology creators, developers, and researchers rather than solely consumers of assistive technology. Coined by Richard Ladner, technology…

Techshop Method(also: Techshops, QUT Techshop)

A reciprocal co-design research method where researchers learn about participants' perspectives on technology as participants learn about and engage with it. Developed for inclusive technology research with people with intellectual disability, the Techshop format involves…

Temporary Disability(also: Short-Term Disability, Transient Disability)

A disability or impairment that is expected to be temporary in duration, resulting from illness, injury, surgery, or other medical conditions. Temporary disabilities create access needs that may be identical to those of permanent disabilities but are complicated by uncertain…

Third Wave Accessibility(also: Third Wave HCI Accessibility)

An approach to accessibility that considers the full context of people's lives rather than focusing narrowly on task completion or interface design. Third wave accessibility recognizes that technology use is embedded in social, cultural, and emotional contexts, and that people…

Tokenism(also: Token Inclusion)

The practice of including a small number of individuals from underrepresented groups primarily for the appearance of inclusivity rather than for meaningful participation or impact. In accessibility research, tokenism occurs when studies include a minimal number of disabled…

Ubiquitous Computing(also: Ubicomp, Pervasive Computing, Ambient Computing)

Ubiquitous computing is a paradigm where computing is integrated seamlessly into everyday environments and objects, becoming an invisible part of daily life through sensors, smart devices, and networked systems. Examples include smart home devices, automatic doors,…

Universal Access(also: Universal Accessibility)

The principle and practice of designing products, environments, programs, and services to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. Universal access extends beyond physical environments to encompass digital…

Universal Accessibility(also: Accessibility for All)

A broad approach to accessibility that goes beyond technical compliance with specific disability-focused guidelines to encompass the needs of all users regardless of age, experience, cultural background, or ability. Universal accessibility considers not only coding standards but…

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 Design for Learning(also: UDL)

An educational framework based on neuroscience research that guides the design of flexible learning experiences to accommodate individual learning differences. UDL provides three core principles: multiple means of engagement (the "why" of learning), multiple means of…

Universal Remote Console(also: URC, URC Framework)

The Universal Remote Console (URC) is an ISO/IEC standard framework (ISO/IEC 24752) that enables pluggable, alternative user interfaces for applications and devices. URC separates the user interface from the underlying application through an abstract "user interface socket" that…

User Agency(also: User Control, User Autonomy)

The degree to which users maintain control over their interactions with a system, including the ability to make choices, adjust system behavior, override automated decisions, and understand what the system is doing on their behalf. In accessibility and AI-powered tools, user…

User Enactment(also: UE, Experience Prototyping)

A research method in which participants explore emerging or future technologies through simulated scenarios using physical enactment stages (mockup environments). User enactment combines brainstorming, where participants speak aloud their thoughts and decisions, with…

User Experience(also: UX)

A person's perceptions and responses resulting from the use or anticipated use of a product, system, or service, encompassing emotions, beliefs, preferences, physical and psychological responses, and behaviours. Defined by ISO 9241-210, user experience goes beyond usability…

User Research(also: UX Research, Usability Research)

The systematic study of users and their needs, behaviours, and experiences to inform the design and development of products and services. User research methods include interviews, surveys, focus groups, usability testing, diary studies, contextual inquiry, and beta testing. In…

User Sensitive Inclusive Design(also: USID)

A design methodology proposed as an alternative to User Centred Design for populations with highly diverse and dynamically changing needs, particularly older people. User Sensitive Inclusive Design replaces "centred" with "sensitive" to acknowledge that it may be impossible to…

User model(also: User modeling, User modelling)

A computational representation of a user's characteristics, abilities, preferences, and behavior patterns, used to predict how they will interact with a system or to adapt an interface to their needs. In accessibility contexts, user models capture attributes such as motor range…

User-Centred Design(also: UCD, User-Centered Design, Human-Centred Design)

An iterative design methodology that places the needs, characteristics, and limitations of end users at the centre of each stage of the design process. In accessibility, user-centred design involves people with disabilities as active participants throughout design and…

User-Sensitive Inclusive Design(also: USID)

A design methodology that adapts user-centered design principles for contexts where the target user population is highly diverse and where individual differences — including those related to disability — are significant design factors. Unlike Universal Design which aims for…

Value Sensitive Design(also: VSD)

A design methodology that accounts for human values in a principled and systematic way throughout the technology design process. Value Sensitive Design integrates three types of investigation: conceptual (identifying stakeholders and their values), empirical (studying how people…

Variable Ability(also: Fluctuating Ability, Dynamic Disability)

The characteristic of many chronic illnesses and disabilities where a person's functional abilities change significantly over time — across days, hours, or even minutes. Variable ability includes both baseline fluctuations (such as flares triggered by environmental factors or…