Glossary

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Imaginary Interface(also: Spatial Memory Interface, Empty-Handed Interaction)

An interaction paradigm where users interact with a virtual interface mapped to empty space or their own body, without any physical device in the interaction area. Users transfer their spatial memory of familiar device layouts (like a smartphone screen) to their palm or mid-air,…

Implicit Scoping(also: Prioritized Scoping)

A voice navigation strategy that combines the efficiency of relaxed scoping with intelligent disambiguation. In implicit scoping, the system maintains awareness of the user's current focus area and prioritizes targets based on proximity and context. When a user issues a command,…

Implicit User(also: Model User, Implied User)

A concept from semiotic engineering describing the hypothetical user that a designer envisions when creating an interface — encompassing assumptions about the user's behaviour, experience, competence, expectations, and goals. Every interface carries an implicit user embedded in…

Index of Difficulty(also: ID, Fitts ID)

The Index of Difficulty (ID) is the central quantity in Fitts' law that captures how hard a rapid aimed pointing movement is, computed as log₂(A/W + 1) in the Shannon formulation, where A is the amplitude (distance to the target) and W is the target width along the movement…

Infant-Computer Interaction(also: Baby-Computer Interaction)

The design and study of technology interfaces intended for use by infants, typically under 24 months of age. Infant-computer interaction presents unique challenges compared to other user populations because infants cannot be instructed, cannot provide explicit feedback about…

Information Rate(also: Throughput, Bandwidth)

The amount of information successfully communicated per unit of time through a communication channel or interface, measured in bits per second. In HCI and assistive technology evaluation, information rate quantifies how efficiently a user can convey commands or intentions…

Information Theory(also: Shannon Theory, Mathematical Theory of Communication)

A mathematical framework developed by Claude Shannon in 1948 for quantifying the transmission, processing, and storage of information. Central concepts include entropy (the measure of uncertainty or unpredictability in a message source), information rate (the reduction of…

Input Adaptation(also: Input Device Adaptation, Input Modality Adaptation)

The process of automatically or manually modifying an application's user interface to work with input devices or methods it was not originally designed for. Input adaptation addresses the fact that most graphical user interfaces are designed for keyboard and mouse, yet many…

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…

Intermediated Technology Use(also: Intermediated Interaction, Assisted Technology Use)

A pattern of technology interaction where a person accesses technology through the assistance of another person (an intermediary) rather than using it directly themselves. This occurs when barriers such as cost, literacy, disability, or lack of access prevent direct use. Common…

Iterative Crowdsourcing(also: Iterative Human Computation, Multi-Round Crowdsourcing)

A human computation workflow in which multiple rounds of crowd workers build iteratively upon each other's responses to collectively achieve higher quality results than any individual worker could produce alone. In each iteration, workers are shown the previous round's outputs…

11 results.