Glossary

Search results

Forced Alignment(also: Phonetic Alignment, Phone-Level Alignment)

Forced alignment is an automatic speech processing technique that aligns a speech recording with its known transcription at the phoneme or word level. Unlike free speech recognition which determines the most likely sequence of sounds, forced alignment constrains the recognizer…

Formative Evaluation(also: Formative Usability Testing, Formative Assessment)

Usability evaluation conducted early in the design process using prototypes, mockups, or wireframes to identify design problems and inform improvements. Formative testing is qualitative and iterative, focusing on understanding user behavior and identifying issues rather than…

Fraudulent Participants(also: Impostor Participants, Fake Participants)

Individuals who falsely claim to meet a study's eligibility criteria in order to participate in research, typically for financial compensation. In accessibility research, fraudulent participants may claim to have disabilities they do not have, undermining data validity and…

Frenchay Aphasia Screening Test(also: FAST)

A brief, standardized assessment tool used to screen for the presence and severity of aphasia in stroke survivors and others with acquired language impairments. The FAST evaluates four language areas: comprehension, expression, reading, and writing, providing scores out of 30.…

Friedman Test(also: Friedman Rank Test)

The Friedman test is a non-parametric statistical test used to detect differences across three or more related samples - for example, the same participants rating three interface conditions. It ranks each participant's responses across conditions and tests whether the rank sums…

Future Workshop

A participatory research method developed by Jungk and Mullert in 1987 that supports collective reflection and idea generation about possible futures. A Future Workshop typically unfolds in phases: critique of present conditions, collective envisioning of ideal futures, and…

Gait Analysis(also: Gait Assessment, Walking Analysis)

The systematic study of human locomotion using observation, measurement, and analysis of body mechanics during walking. Gait analysis measures parameters such as stride length, step duration, joint angles, stance and swing phase timing, and symmetry between left and right legs.…

Galvanic Skin Response(also: GSR, Electrodermal Activity, EDA)

A physiological measurement technique that detects changes in the electrical conductance of the skin caused by sweat gland activity. Because sweat glands are controlled by the sympathetic nervous system, GSR provides an objective indicator of emotional arousal, stress, and…

Gamified evaluation(also: Game-based assessment, Gamified testing)

A research methodology that incorporates game design elements — such as challenges, scoring, progressive difficulty, and rewards — into the evaluation of technology or user performance, to increase participant engagement, motivation, and retention. In accessibility research,…

Gaze Tracking(also: Eye Tracking, Eye Gaze Tracking)

Technology that measures and records eye movements to determine where a person is looking, for how long, and in what pattern. In low-vision research and rehabilitation, gaze tracking can reveal visual strategies such as fixation patterns, saccade paths, and preferred retinal…

Gesture Elicitation(also: User-Defined Gestures)

Gesture elicitation is a participatory design method where end users are asked to invent gestures for a set of device functions, rather than having gestures predetermined by designers or engineers. Participants are shown the effect of an action (such as zooming in) and asked to…

Gesture Elicitation Study(also: Gesture Elicitation, User-Defined Gestures)

A research methodology in which participants are presented with the effects or outcomes of actions (called referents) and asked to propose gestures they would naturally perform to trigger those effects. This approach captures user preferences and expectations rather than…

Global South(also: Developing World, Majority World)

A term referring broadly to countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Oceania that have been historically marginalized in global economic and political systems. In accessibility research, the Global South is significantly underrepresented — most studies recruit participants…

Gold-Standard Evaluation(also: Gold Standard, Reference Standard Evaluation)

An evaluation methodology in natural language processing and generation where system output is compared against a set of pre-established correct or ideal responses. In text-based systems, gold-standard strings are human-produced reference outputs that serve as benchmarks.…

Grasp Aperture(also: Hand Aperture, Finger Aperture)

Grasp aperture is the distance between the thumb and opposing finger(s) as the hand opens to receive an object during a reach. It scales with perceived object size, peaks before contact at a value typically larger than the object itself, and then closes to grip - a well-studied…

Grounded Theory

A qualitative research methodology in which theory is systematically generated from data through iterative coding, categorization, and comparison rather than testing a pre-existing hypothesis. In accessibility and HCI research, grounded theory is commonly used to analyze…

Haptic Experience Model(also: HX Model, HX)

A framework proposed by Kim and Schneider for evaluating user experience with haptic technologies along five perceptual-experiential dimensions: autotelics (the pleasantness of the sensation), realism (fidelity to the depicted phenomenon), harmony (fit with accompanying…

Heat Map(also: Heatmap, Attention Map, Gaze Map)

A data visualization technique that uses colour intensity to represent the distribution and density of user attention or interaction on a page or interface. In eye tracking research, heat maps aggregate fixation data from multiple users, with warmer colours (red, orange)…

Heavy Disguise

A research-ethics technique introduced by Amy Bruckman (2002) for handling quotes and user-generated content drawn from public online spaces. Under heavy disguise the researcher rephrases quotations, omits usernames and platform identifiers, and verifies (e.g., via search) that…

Hierarchical Task Analysis(also: HTA)

A structured method for describing and analyzing tasks by breaking them down into goals, sub-goals, and operations in a hierarchical tree structure. Originally developed for industrial and safety-critical domains, HTA has been adopted in accessibility research to identify where…

Hornbostel-Sachs Classification(also: Hornbostel-Sachs System, Sachs-Hornbostel)

A comprehensive system for classifying musical instruments based on how they produce sound, originally developed by Erich von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs in 1914. The system divides instruments into four main categories: idiophones (sound from the vibration of the entire…

Human Computation(also: Crowdsourced Computing)

A computational approach that harnesses human intelligence to perform tasks that computers cannot easily accomplish alone. In accessibility contexts, human computation powers services like remote sighted assistance for blind users, crowd-powered captioning to improve ASR…

Human Failure Modes and Effects Analysis(also: HFMEA, Human FMEA)

An adaptation of Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) that focuses specifically on human performance and error. HFMEA systematically examines each step in a process to identify how humans might fail, why they might fail, and what effects those failures would have. In…

Human-Centered Threat Modeling

A methodology borrowed from security and privacy research that identifies the people and institutions who intend to cause harm to a specific population, the threats they pose, and the defensive strategies the population uses. In accessibility research, human-centered threat…

Human-computer interaction(also: HCI, Human-machine interaction)

The interdisciplinary study of the design, evaluation, and use of interactive computing systems by humans, drawing on computer science, psychology, design, and social science. HCI research encompasses how people use technology, how interfaces should be designed for usability and…

Human-in-the-Loop(also: HITL)

An approach to AI system design and evaluation that incorporates human judgment, feedback, and oversight at critical points in automated processes. In accessibility contexts, human-in-the-loop methodologies involve people with disabilities and other affected communities in…

In Situ Study(also: Field Study, In-the-Wild Study, Remote Study)

An in situ study is a research method where participants are observed or data is collected in their natural environment rather than in a controlled laboratory setting. In accessibility research, in situ studies are particularly valuable because they capture how users interact…

In-Situ Deployment(also: In-Situ Study, Field Deployment Study)

A research methodology in which a functional prototype or product is installed on participants' own devices and used in their everyday environment over days, weeks, or months, rather than in a controlled laboratory session. In-situ deployments are especially valuable for…

In-Situ Intervention(also: in-context intervention, just-in-time intervention)

An in-situ intervention is a technological or design feature that is invoked within a user's existing workflow and context, rather than requiring them to switch to a separate application or interrupt their current task. In accessibility research, in-situ interventions are…

In-situ Study(also: In-situ evaluation, Field study)

A user study conducted in the real-world setting where the technology would actually be used (a museum floor, a corridor with passersby, a commuter train), rather than in a controlled lab or via remotely viewed videos. In-situ studies matter for accessibility research because…

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…

Inductive Thematic Analysis(also: Bottom-Up Thematic Analysis)

A qualitative data analysis method where themes and patterns are identified directly from the data without being guided by pre-existing theoretical frameworks or hypotheses. In inductive thematic analysis, researchers read through data (such as interview transcripts or online…

Information Power

A sample-adequacy principle for qualitative research, proposed by Malterud, Siersma, and Guassora (2016), which holds that the more information a study sample holds that is relevant to the research question, the fewer participants are needed. Adequacy is judged against five…

Information Quality(also: IQ, Data Quality)

A measure of how well information meets the needs of its consumers, encompassing dimensions such as accuracy, completeness, currency, relevance, and reliability. In accessibility and disability contexts, information quality on digital platforms is critical because people with…

Infrastructuring

A theoretical lens from HCI, CSCW, and participatory design (developed from the work of Susan Leigh Star, Karen Ruhleder, Volkmar Pipek, and Volker Wulf) that treats infrastructure not as a finished artifact but as an ongoing, situated accomplishment. Infrastructuring highlights…

Input Logging(also: Keystroke Logging, Input Event Logging)

The practice of recording detailed timestamped data about keyboard and mouse events — including key presses, releases, mouse movements, clicks, and button states — for analysis of user interaction patterns. In accessibility research, input logging is used to study the…

Inter-Annotator Agreement(also: IAA, Inter-rater agreement, Inter-coder agreement)

A statistical measure of how consistently two or more human annotators assign the same label to the same data item, widely used in NLP, computer vision, and AI dataset construction as a proxy for label quality. Common measures include Cohen's kappa, Fleiss' kappa, and…

Inter-Rater Reliability(also: Inter-Coder Reliability, Inter-Annotator Agreement, IRR)

A statistical measure of the degree to which two or more independent raters or coders agree in their assessments or classifications of the same data. In accessibility research, inter-rater reliability is used to validate qualitative coding of user study data, annotation of…

Interaction Analysis

A qualitative research method for studying knowledge and action in interaction with people, objects, and environments — typically through close observation of video or screen recordings, annotating visible affect, body language, utterances, and moment-by-moment behavior.…

Interaction with Disabled Persons Scale(also: IDP Scale, IDP)

A standardized 20-item attitudinal instrument developed by Gething and Wheeler (1992) and later validated by Forlin, Fogarty, and Caroll (1999), designed to measure both desirable and undesirable emotions that people experience when interacting with individuals who have…

Intergroup Contact Theory(also: ICT, Contact Hypothesis)

A social-psychology theory, originating with Gordon Allport's 1954 contact hypothesis and elaborated by Pettigrew, Tropp, and others, which holds that positive, meaningful interaction between members of different social groups reduces prejudice and increases acceptance —…

Internal Reliability(also: Internal Consistency)

A psychometric property that measures whether all items in a questionnaire or instrument contribute consistently to the overall score. It is commonly assessed using Cronbach's alpha, where values of 0.7 and above are generally considered acceptable. In accessibility research,…

Internet Archive(also: Wayback Machine, Web Archive)

A non-profit digital library founded in 1996 that archives web pages, books, audio, video, and software for free public access. Its Wayback Machine service stores historical snapshots of websites, allowing researchers to view how web pages appeared at specific points in time. In…

Interpersonal Reactivity Index(also: IRI)

A widely used multidimensional self-report measure of empathy developed by Mark H. Davis in 1980. The instrument contains four seven-item subscales: perspective taking (the tendency to adopt another's point of view), empathic concern (feelings of warmth and compassion for…

Interpretive phenomenological analysis(also: IPA)

A qualitative research methodology focused on exploring how people make sense of their lived experiences, widely used in accessibility and disability research. IPA involves detailed analysis of individual accounts — typically through in-depth interviews — to understand…

Intra-sectionality(also: Intra-sectional Analysis)

The examination of variation and diversity within a single identity category or demographic group, as opposed to intersectionality which examines the interaction between different identity categories. In disability research, intra-sectionality reveals that people within a single…

Intrinsic Motivation Inventory(also: IMI)

A standardized psychometric instrument used to assess participants' subjective experience during activities, measuring dimensions such as interest/enjoyment, perceived competence, effort/importance, value/usefulness, and felt pressure/tension. The IMI is commonly used in HCI and…

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…

Kinesiology(also: Human kinetics, Movement science)

The scientific study of human body movement, encompassing biomechanics, anatomy, physiology, psychology, and neuroscience as they relate to physical activity. In accessibility contexts, kinesiology provides foundational knowledge about how people move and interact with their…

Krippendorff's Alpha(also: Krippendorff Alpha, Kalpha)

A statistical measure of inter-rater agreement used to assess how consistently two or more coders classify the same qualitative data. Developed by Klaus Krippendorff, the metric handles any number of coders, any level of measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio), and…