Glossary

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Emotional Design

A framework developed by Don Norman describing how people evaluate and form attachments to products through three cognitive levels: visceral (immediate sensory and aesthetic responses), behavioral (functional performance and usability), and reflective (personal meaning,…

Error Tolerance(also: Error Prevention, Forgiveness)

A design principle requiring that systems anticipate, prevent, and gracefully handle user errors. In accessible design, error tolerance means providing clear validation messages, allowing users to undo actions, confirming destructive operations, and ensuring that mistakes do not…

Extraneous Cognitive Load(also: Extraneous Load)

One of three types of cognitive load identified by cognitive load theory, referring to the unnecessary mental effort caused by poor instructional design or interface presentation rather than the learning material itself. Extraneous load arises from confusing layouts, irrelevant…

Fidelity

An expression of how accurately a representation reproduces its source. A photograph is a high-fidelity visual representation of a scene but loses depth, sound, and smell. In accessibility and content adaptation, fidelity is a critical concern: when content is transformed from…

Floating Action Button(also: FAB)

A circular button that floats above the user interface in Android apps, typically representing the primary action on a screen. Defined by Google's Material Design guidelines, FABs usually display a simple icon (such as a plus sign, pencil, or heart) without visible text labels.…

Font Accessibility(also: Accessible Fonts, Dyslexia-Friendly Fonts)

The selection and design of typefaces to maximize readability for people with disabilities, particularly dyslexia and low vision. Research has evaluated various font properties for accessibility, finding that sans serif fonts, monospaced fonts, and fonts with distinct letter…

Functional accessibility

The degree to which a device or interface is usable by a specific user or user profile, either directly or through the addition of assistive technology. A system is functionally accessible for a given user if it enables them to complete their tasks, regardless of whether the…

Functional affordance

A design concept introduced in receptive design methodology that describes what a product or interface enables a user to do based on specific body functions, rather than general ability assumptions. Unlike traditional affordances (which describe what an object's properties…

GAIA(also: Guidelines for Accessible Interfaces for people with Autism, Guidelines for Accessible Interfaces for Autism)

A set of design guidelines specifically developed to make digital interfaces more accessible for autistic users. GAIA addresses common barriers that autistic people face when using technology, including sensory overload from animations and complex layouts, difficulty with…

Game accessibility(also: Gaming accessibility, Accessible gaming)

The practice of designing video games and interactive entertainment so they can be played and enjoyed by people with disabilities. Game accessibility encompasses a wide range of considerations including remappable controls for motor impairments, audio cues and sonification for…

Gamification

The application of game design elements — such as points, rewards, competition, collection mechanics, and progress tracking — in non-game contexts to increase engagement and motivation. In accessibility work, gamification has been used to encourage people to contribute…

HSL(also: Hue Saturation Luminosity, HSL Color Model, HSB)

A colour model that represents colours using three components: Hue (the type of colour, such as red, green, or blue, expressed as a degree on a colour wheel from 0 to 360), Saturation (the purity or intensity of the colour, from grey to fully vivid), and Luminosity or Lightness…

Haptic(also: Haptic feedback, Haptic interface)

Relating to the sense of touch as a means of interaction between a user and a device. Haptic interfaces include braille displays that raise and lower pins to represent text, vibration motors in mobile devices that provide tactile feedback, and specialised controllers that offer…

Haptic Design(also: Vibrotactile Design, Haptic Authoring)

The practice of authoring haptic feedback - typically vibrations, forces, or temperature cues - so that it conveys intended meaning, emotion, or synchronicity with other media. Haptic design involves choosing signal parameters such as amplitude, frequency, timing, and spatial…

Hofstede Cultural Dimensions(also: Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions, Hofstede Model)

A framework by social psychologist Geert Hofstede characterising national cultures along dimensions such as Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism versus Collectivism, Masculinity versus Femininity, and Time Orientation. It has been used extensively in…

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

A design approach that prioritizes the needs, capabilities, and experiences of end users throughout the design process. Popularized by IDEO and formalized in ISO 9241-210, human-centered design involves iterative cycles of understanding user context, specifying requirements,…

Hybrid Craft(also: Digital Craft, Computational Craft)

A making practice that combines traditional hand-craft techniques (embroidery, weaving, quilting, ceramics, woodworking) with digital fabrication tools such as computerised embroidery machines, laser cutters, or 3D printers. In accessibility and HCI research, hybrid craft is…

Inclusive Co-Design(also: Inclusive Participatory Design)

A design methodology that ensures people from typically marginalized groups, including people with intellectual disabilities, are meaningfully included throughout the technology design process as equals rather than subjects. Inclusive co-design adapts traditional participatory…

Inclusive Design(also: Inclusive Design Methodology)

A design methodology that considers the full range of human diversity from the outset of the design process, including ability, language, culture, gender, and age. Inclusive design differs from accessibility retrofitting in that it incorporates diverse needs as core design…

Inclusive avatar(also: Disability-representative avatar)

A digital self-representation in virtual environments that includes disability signifiers such as wheelchairs, prosthetics, hearing aids, canes, or visual metaphors for invisible conditions. Inclusive avatars enable disabled users to express their identity in virtual spaces and…

Information chunking(also: Chunking)

The practice of organizing information into smaller, manageable groups or segments to reduce cognitive load and improve comprehension and retention. Rooted in cognitive psychology research on working memory limitations, chunking is essential for accessible content design —…

Instructional design(also: Learning design)

The systematic process of creating educational or instructional materials and experiences that facilitate effective learning and task completion. In accessibility, instructional design principles ensure that tutorials, product manuals, help documentation, and learning materials…

Intentional Sensory Stimulation

A design approach for technology that deliberately leverages optimal sensory modes — visual, auditory, haptic, or multimodal — to facilitate comprehension and engagement, rather than simply reducing interface complexity. Introduced in the context of dementia accessibility…

Interaction metaphor

A conceptual mapping that allows users to understand and interact with a digital interface by drawing on familiar experiences or mental models. Common examples include the desktop metaphor (files, folders, trash can), direct manipulation (dragging objects), and the page metaphor…

Intrinsic accessibility

A property of a user interface whose underlying architecture inherently supports adaptation across a broad range of user capabilities, as distinct from functional accessibility which addresses specific user profiles through bolt-on assistive technology. An intrinsically…

Journey Mapping(also: Journey Map)

A qualitative research and design method in which participants describe a trip, task, or experience step-by-step across sequential phases (e.g., pre-trip, in-trip, post-trip), identifying the tools they used, the cues they relied on, the decisions they made, and the points where…

Luminance Contrast(also: Brightness Contrast)

The difference in perceived brightness between two adjacent surfaces or objects, as opposed to color contrast which involves differences in hue. Luminance contrast is particularly important for people with low vision, as many have difficulty distinguishing colors but can detect…

Mark

An elementary entity capable of perception within a spatial substrate. In the visual design space, marks include points, lines, circles, and areas — the basic building blocks from which all visual representations are composed. A bar chart is constructed from rectangular marks…

Material Experience(also: Material Aesthetics, Material Interaction)

The multidimensional way people perceive, interpret, and emotionally respond to the physical materials of objects they interact with. The materials experience framework categorizes these experiences into four levels: sensorial (immediate physical sensations from touching,…

Medicalised Aesthetic(also: Medical Model Design, Clinical Aesthetic)

A design approach in assistive technology that prioritises clinical functionality over personal style, resulting in devices that visually signal disability through neutral, institutional-looking form factors such as plain plastic casings and uniform designs. Research with AAC…

Metamessage(also: Designer's Metamessage)

In Semiotic Engineering theory, the overarching one-way message that a designer sends to users through the system's interface, communicating who the system is for, what it can do, how to use it, and why it was designed that way. The metamessage is encoded through interface signs…

Mixed-Initiative Design(also: Mixed-Initiative Interaction)

An interaction design approach in which both the system and the user can take initiative in directing the flow of interaction, rather than one party being entirely in control. In accessibility contexts, mixed-initiative design is used to balance automated system actions (such as…

Mixed-ability group(also: Mixed-ability setting, Inclusive group)

A group composed of individuals with and without disabilities who participate together in shared activities such as research, education, or design. Mixed-ability groups are valued in accessibility practice because they reflect real-world diversity and can foster inclusive design…

Motion Design(also: Motion Graphics, Motion-Driven Design)

The practice of animating graphic elements - text, icons, diagrams, captions - in time-based media to communicate instructional content. In accessible educational video, motion design is used to guide visual attention, sequence information, and pace the presentation of captions…

Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration(also: Multi-Stakeholder Design)

A collaborative approach that involves diverse groups of people with different roles, expertise, and lived experiences in the design and development process. In accessible design, multi-stakeholder collaboration typically brings together end users with disabilities, domain…

Multimodal redundancy(also: Redundant coding, Multi-sensory design)

A design principle in which the same information is conveyed through multiple sensory channels simultaneously — such as visual, tactile, auditory, and textual — so that users can access it through whichever modality suits their abilities and preferences. Multimodal redundancy is…

Multisensory(also: Multisensory Design, Multisensory Interaction)

An approach to design and interaction that engages multiple human senses — such as sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste — to convey information and create richer experiences. In accessibility, multisensory design is valuable because it provides alternative channels for…

Ocular normativity(also: Ocularcentrism, Ocular norm, Visual normativity)

A concept from critical disability studies describing the cultural assumption that sight is the primary, most reliable, and most natural mode of knowing and perceiving the world. Ocular normativity positions visual interaction as the default and universal way to engage with…

Orthographic Projection(also: Parallel Projection)

A method of representing a three-dimensional object in two dimensions by projecting its features onto a flat plane using parallel lines perpendicular to that plane, eliminating perspective distortion. In accessibility contexts, orthographic projections (typically top, front, and…

Parametric design(also: Parametric modeling)

A design approach in which objects are defined by adjustable parameters (dimensions, angles, ratios) rather than direct geometric manipulation, allowing users to customize designs by changing numerical values without needing 3D modeling expertise. Parametric design is…

Participatory design(also: Co-design, PD, Cooperative design)

A design methodology originating from Scandinavian workplace practices in the 1970s in which end users, stakeholders, and designers collaborate as equal partners throughout the design process. In accessibility, participatory design is essential for ensuring that products and…

Perceptualisation(also: Perceptualization)

A multi-sensory display of abstract information, inferred by Nesbitt to be a fundamentally human quality. Where visualisation presents abstract data through the visual design space (charts, graphs, maps), perceptualisation extends this to all sensory channels — sonic, haptic,…

Persuasive Technology(also: Behaviour Change Technology, Behavior Change Technology)

Technology designed to change users' attitudes or behaviours through persuasion and social influence rather than coercion. In health and wellness contexts, persuasive technologies use strategies such as goal-setting, self-monitoring, reminders, social comparison, and rewards to…

Playification

A design strategy that transforms routine or clinical tasks into playful, engaging experiences without relying solely on competitive game mechanics like points and leaderboards. Unlike gamification, which adds game elements to non-game contexts, playification emphasizes…

Provocation (HCI)(also: Design provocation, Provotype)

In human-computer interaction, a designed artifact whose purpose is to unsettle assumptions, provoke debate, or surface hidden values rather than to solve a defined problem. Provocations draw on traditions of critical design (Dunne and Raby), adversarial design (DiSalvo),…

Proxemics(also: Interpersonal distance, Personal space)

The study of how people use and perceive physical space in social interactions, originally defined by anthropologist Edward T. Hall in 1966. Hall identified four distance zones: intimate (0–45 cm), personal (45 cm–1.2 m), social (1.2–3.6 m), and public (beyond 3.6 m). In…

Redundant Encoding(also: Redundant Coding, Multi-Channel Encoding)

A design principle that communicates information through multiple visual channels simultaneously — such as colour plus shape, pattern, text label, or position — so that no single channel is required for comprehension. Redundant encoding is a foundational recommendation for CVD…

Reification

The process of making concrete that which is abstract. A photograph is a reification of a moment in time and place, with all the selectivity and distortion that the lens and framing impose. A web page is a reification of underlying data and semantic relationships, rendered…

Research Through Design(also: RtD)

A research methodology in which the design process itself serves as a mode of inquiry, generating knowledge through the iterative creation and evaluation of artifacts, systems, or experiences. Unlike traditional research that studies existing phenomena, Research Through Design…

Self-adapting user interface(also: Adaptive user interface, Adaptive UI)

A user interface that dynamically modifies its presentation, interaction modalities, or behaviour in response to changing conditions such as user capabilities, environmental factors, device characteristics, or content requirements. Unlike adaptable interfaces (which users…