Glossary
Terms used in accessibility research and practice. Each entry has a definition, common aliases, and category tags.
Search results
- Smartwatch(also: Smart Watch, Wrist-Worn Device)
- A wrist-worn computing device with a small touchscreen display that provides notifications, health tracking, and app functionality beyond timekeeping. Smartwatches present significant accessibility challenges for users with motor impairments due to their small touch targets,…
- Smartwatch Interaction(also: Watch-Based Interaction)
- The methods and techniques used to interact with smartwatch devices, including touch gestures on the small screen, physical button and crown inputs, and motion-based gestures detected by onboard sensors. Smartwatches present unique interaction challenges due to their small form…
- Subtle Interaction(also: Discreet interaction)
- A design approach in which interactions with a device or digital system are intentionally minimized in visibility, amplitude, or audibility to reduce social disruption, preserve user privacy, and support use in public or semi-public contexts. Subtle interactions include…
- Ultra-Wideband(also: UWB, Ultra wideband)
- A short-range radio-frequency technology that uses very wide frequency bands (typically above 500 MHz) and very short pulses to enable centimetre-accurate distance and angle-of-arrival measurements between paired devices. UWB is increasingly used in accessibility for indoor…
- 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,…
- Vibromotor(also: Vibration Motor, Vibrotactile Actuator, ERM)
- A vibromotor is a small motor that produces vibration, commonly used in haptic feedback devices, smartphones, and wearable technology. The most common types are eccentric rotating mass (ERM) motors, which spin an off-center weight, and linear resonant actuators (LRAs), which…
- Vibrotactile Feedback(also: Vibrotactile, Vibrotactile Display, Tactile Vibration)
- A form of haptic feedback that uses vibration patterns to convey information through the sense of touch. In accessibility, vibrotactile feedback provides an alternative or complement to visual and auditory output channels, enabling communication with users who are blind, deaf,…
- Video see-through(also: VST, Camera passthrough)
- A display approach in head-mounted devices where the user's view of the real world is captured by outward-facing cameras and displayed on screens inside the headset, allowing complete digital manipulation of the visual feed before presentation. For low vision users, video…
- Wearable Camera(also: Body-worn Camera, Head-mounted Camera, Egocentric Camera)
- A camera worn on the body — typically mounted on glasses, a hat, or the chest — that captures images or video from the wearer's perspective (egocentric view). In assistive technology for blind and low vision users, wearable cameras coupled with computer vision can provide…
- Wearable Haptic Device(also: Haptic Wearable, Vibrotactile Wearable)
- A body-worn device that delivers tactile feedback through vibration motors, actuators, or other mechanisms to convey information to the wearer through the sense of touch. Wearable haptic devices range from simple single-motor wristbands to multi-motor armbands, gloves, and belts…
- Wearable Haptics(also: Wearable Haptic Device)
- Haptic feedback systems designed to be worn on the body — rings, wristbands, gloves, vests, shoes, or exoskeletons — that deliver tactile, vibrotactile, or kinesthetic cues during mobile, hands-free use. Wearable haptics are a core building block of assistive navigation,…
- Wearable Sensor(also: Body-Worn Sensor, Wearable Device)
- A small electronic device worn on the body that continuously collects data about the wearer's movements, physiological state, or environment. In accessibility and rehabilitation contexts, wearable sensors such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, and inertial measurement units can…
- Wearable Sensors(also: Body-Worn Sensors, Wearable Sensor Technology)
- Electronic devices worn on the body that collect data about movement, physiological signals, or environmental conditions. In accessibility contexts, wearable sensors include accelerometers, gyroscopes, and inertial measurement units (IMUs) embedded in clothing, shoes, watches,…