Glossary

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Satisficing

A decision-making strategy where users select the first option that appears "good enough" rather than evaluating all possibilities to find the optimal choice. Coined by Herbert Simon, satisficing is common in web navigation, especially among older adults and users with cognitive…

Sensory Adaptation(also: Habituation, Olfactory Fatigue)

Sensory adaptation is the diminishing response of a sensory system to a constant or repeated stimulus over time. Classic examples include no longer noticing a steady smell, becoming accustomed to ambient noise, or losing awareness of clothing pressed against the skin. In…

Sensory-Motor Processing(also: Sensorimotor Processing, Sensorimotor Integration)

Sensory-motor processing refers to the brain's ability to receive sensory input (visual, auditory, tactile, proprioceptive) and coordinate appropriate motor responses. This includes fine motor control for tasks like typing and mouse manipulation, as well as the integration of…

Situation Awareness(also: SA, Situational Awareness)

The perception and understanding of one's current environment, including the identification of relevant elements, comprehension of their meaning, and projection of their future status. In accessibility and assistive technology contexts, situation awareness refers to systems that…

Situationally-Induced Impairments and Disabilities(also: SIIDs, Situationally Induced Impairments and Disabilities, Situation-Induced Disabilities)

An accessibility framework, introduced by Sears et al., that describes how everyday environments and tasks can temporarily impose the same kinds of barriers on non-disabled users that permanent impairments create for disabled users. Examples include reading a phone in bright sun…

Slips(also: Slip Errors, Selection Slips)

Errors that occur when a user intends to click on a target but the cursor moves off the target before the mouse button is released, resulting in a missed selection. Slips are particularly common among older adults and people with motor impairments due to difficulties with fine…

Social Acceptance(also: Public acceptance, Bystander acceptance)

In assistive technology research, the degree to which bystanders and the broader public accept the presence and use of a device in shared spaces — and the degree to which the user feels comfortable using it in public. Low social acceptance can drive device abandonment even when…

Submovement(also: Movement Component, Movement Segment)

A discrete component of a larger aimed movement, separated from other submovements by pauses or changes in velocity. According to the Optimized Submovement Model from motor performance theory, a rapid aimed movement such as moving a cursor to a target consists of an initial…

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