Glossary
Terms used in accessibility research and practice. Each entry has a definition, common aliases, and category tags.
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- Elicitation Study(also: Gesture Elicitation Study)
- An elicitation study is a user research method in which participants are shown the effect of an action (called a referent) and asked to propose the input or gesture (called a sign) that should cause it. This approach generates user-defined interaction techniques rather than…
- Embodied Communication(also: Embodied Interaction)
- Communication that involves the whole body as a resource for meaning-making, including gestures, posture, facial expressions, gaze, touch, and physical movement through space. Embodied communication recognizes that meaning is not solely transmitted through words but is…
- Embodied Experience(also: Embodied Interaction, Embodiment (UX))
- The dimension of user experience that arises from the body's sensory and kinaesthetic encounter with a system or environment — motion, vibration, balance, proprioception, ambient sound, and felt pace — rather than from explicit information channels. In autonomous transport,…
- Embodied Interaction(also: Embodied Cognition in HCI)
- An approach to human-computer interaction that emphasizes the role of the physical body in how people engage with and understand technology. Embodied interaction recognizes that cognition is not purely mental but shaped by physical experience, movement, and sensory engagement.…
- End-User Elicitation(also: Elicitation Study, User-Defined Gestures)
- A participatory research method where end users are asked to propose or create their own interaction techniques, gestures, or commands for a given system function, rather than having researchers prescribe interactions in advance. In accessibility research, elicitation studies…
- Enhanced Area Touch(also: Area Touch, Expanded Touch Area)
- A touchscreen interaction technique that enlarges the effective touch point from a single pixel to a larger circular area, expanding both the motor space (the physical area the user needs to target) and the visual space (the on-screen representation of targets). When multiple…
- Error Recovery(also: Error Correction, Error Handling)
- The process and mechanisms by which users can identify, understand, and correct errors that occur during interaction with a system. In accessibility contexts, error recovery is particularly important because errors can be harder to detect with assistive technologies—a screen…
- Error correction strategy(also: Text correction, Input error recovery)
- The methods and behaviours users employ to detect and fix errors during text input, including backspace deletion, cursor repositioning, autocorrect, and retyping. For blind and visually impaired users, error correction is disproportionately costly because detecting errors…
- Execution Gap(also: Gulf of Execution)
- From Don Norman's model of human-computer interaction, the distance between a user's goals and the physical actions required to achieve them using a given system. A system with a wide execution gap forces users to translate what they want into technical commands, parameters, or…
- Expert User(also: Advanced User, Power User)
- A user who has substantial experience with a system and has internalised its structure, commands, and idioms. Expert users typically prefer direct, efficient interaction — keyboard shortcuts, command-line syntax, scripting, and customised workflows — over step-by-step menus.…
- Explore by Touch(also: Touch Exploration)
- A screen reader interaction mode on touchscreen devices in which users drag their finger across the screen to discover and hear descriptions of interface elements beneath their fingertip. When Explore by Touch is active, a single tap does not activate a control — instead, the…
- Eyes-Free Interaction(also: Eyes-Free Computing)
- Interaction with digital devices and interfaces without requiring visual attention to a screen. Eyes-free interaction is essential for blind users but also benefits sighted users in contexts where looking at a screen is unsafe (driving), impractical (exercising), or socially…
- Eyes-Free Interaction(also: Eyes-Free, Eyes-Free Gaming, Eyes-Free Interface)
- Eyes-free interaction refers to the use of digital systems and interfaces without relying on visual output, using alternative modalities such as audio, haptic feedback, or speech. In gaming contexts, eyes-free games use 3D spatial audio, sound cues, and non-visual feedback to…
- Eyes-free Interaction(also: Eyes-free Input, Nonvisual Interaction, Eyes-free Interface)
- Interaction techniques that allow users to operate devices without looking at the screen or interface. Eyes-free interaction is essential for people who are blind, but also benefits sighted users in contexts where visual attention is unavailable or dangerous, such as while…
- Eyes-free interaction(also: Eyes-free interface, Non-visual interaction)
- An interaction paradigm in which users operate technology without relying on visual feedback, instead receiving information through auditory, haptic, or other non-visual channels. Eyes-free interfaces are essential for people who are blind or have low vision, but also benefit…
15 results.