Glossary

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Personal Data Externalization(also: Data Externalization)

The process of representing internal experiences — thoughts, emotions, behaviours, bodily states — in some external medium such as a drawing, written word list, spreadsheet, physical artefact, or tracking log. Drawing on Larkin and Simon's distinction between internal and…

Piggyback Prototyping(also: piggyback prototype, parasitic prototyping)

Piggyback prototyping is a research methodology in which researchers add new features or interventions to already-deployed, live systems rather than building standalone prototypes, enabling study of user behaviour with novel features in authentic real-world contexts. The…

Playtesting(also: Play testing)

A user-research method in game and interactive-system design in which representative users play an in-development game while researchers observe, collect think-aloud commentary, and conduct follow-up interviews to probe mechanics, engagement, difficulty, and fit with intended…

Point of Infrastructuring(also: PoI)

A concept from Pipek and Wulf's infrastructuring theory naming the moment at which users become aware of the technology they depend on - typically when it breaks, behaves unexpectedly, or no longer supports their task - and begin to adapt, configure, or work around it. Points of…

Positionality(also: Researcher Positionality)

The practice of researchers explicitly acknowledging how their own identities, experiences, backgrounds, and power positions shape their research process, analysis, and interpretations. In disability and accessibility research, positionality statements typically disclose whether…

Positionality Statement(also: Reflexivity Statement)

A short written statement, most commonly found in qualitative research papers and accessibility HCI publications, in which authors articulate the personal, cultural, professional, and disability-related standpoints that shape their interpretation of the work. Positionality…

Postcolonial Computing

A critical framework that examines how technology design and adoption can perpetuate subtle dimensions of coloniality, under-represent certain regions such as the Global South and Indigenous societies, and marginalize their cultures and practices. In accessibility, postcolonial…

Power Spectral Density(also: PSD, Power Spectrum)

Power spectral density describes how the power of a time-varying signal is distributed across frequency components. It is a foundational tool in signal processing and shows up repeatedly in accessibility technology: in EMG-based input devices, PSD analysis of electrode signals…

PrEmo(also: Product Emotion Measurement Instrument)

A non-verbal self-report tool for measuring emotional responses, developed by Pieter Desmet. PrEmo presents users with 14 cartoon-like icons representing seven positive emotions (joy, admiration, pride, hope, satisfaction, fascination, desire) and seven negative emotions…

Practice-based Research(also: PbR)

A research approach, associated with Candy and Edmonds, in which creative practice itself is the vehicle for original inquiry and knowledge generation. Research questions arise from and are resolved through the making and performance of works, with tacit and embodied knowledge…

Probabilistic Sampling(also: Random Sampling, Statistical Sampling)

A sampling method in which every member of a population has a known, non-zero probability of being selected for the sample. In accessibility evaluation, probabilistic sampling of web pages allows auditors to make statistically valid generalisations about the overall…

Procedural task analysis(also: Task decomposition, Step-by-step analysis)

A method of breaking down complex tasks into sequential, discrete steps to understand user workflows and identify points of difficulty. In accessibility contexts, procedural task analysis reveals where users with cognitive, sensory, or motor impairments encounter barriers — such…

Prolific

An online participant recruitment platform used in academic research that allows researchers to screen and recruit participants based on demographic criteria including disability status. Prolific and similar platforms (such as Amazon Mechanical Turk) have been increasingly used…

Prototyping(also: Prototype)

The iterative creation of tangible, interactive representations of a design - ranging from paper sketches and cardboard mock-ups to functional software builds - used to explore ideas, elicit feedback, and test assumptions before committing to a final product. In accessibility…

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),…

Proxy Feedback(also: Proxy User Testing, Surrogate Feedback)

A user research method in which feedback on designs or prototypes is gathered from people who are close to the target users — such as carers, therapists, family members, or support workers — rather than from the users themselves. This approach is used when direct communication…

Proxy User(also: Proxy Participant, Surrogate User)

A person without a disability who participates in research or usability testing as a stand-in for the intended end user with a disability. Proxies are commonly used in AAC and assistive technology research to circumvent challenges in recruiting and communicating with…

Psycholinguistics

The scientific study of the cognitive and neural processes that underlie the production, comprehension, and acquisition of language. Psycholinguistic research measures phenomena such as reading and signing rate, comprehension under time pressure, lexical access, and the role of…

Psychometric Evaluation(also: Psychometric Validation, Psychometric Analysis)

The process of assessing whether a measurement instrument (such as a questionnaire or survey) possesses desirable statistical properties including validity, reliability, and consistency. In accessibility and usability research, psychometric evaluation is used to determine…

Psychometric Test(also: Psychometric Assessment, Psychometric Evaluation)

A standardised measurement instrument designed to assess an individual's cognitive abilities, motor skills, perceptual speed, or other psychological attributes. In accessibility research and usability evaluation, psychometric tests such as the Mini-Mental State Examination…

Psychomotor testing(also: Psychomotor assessment, Motor performance testing)

The measurement of cognitive-motor integration — how quickly and accurately a person can translate mental intentions into physical actions such as reaching, pointing, grasping, or tapping. Psychomotor tests assess reaction time, movement speed, accuracy, coordination, and…

Psychophysics

Psychophysics is the scientific study of the quantitative relationship between physical stimuli and the sensations and perceptions they produce. Founded in the 19th century, it uses rigorous experimental methods to measure how humans detect, discriminate, and scale sensory…

Pupillometry(also: Pupil Dilation Measurement)

A psychophysiological measurement technique that tracks changes in pupil diameter as an objective indicator of cognitive workload, mental effort, and emotional arousal. In accessibility research, pupillometry provides a non-invasive way to assess how demanding an interface or…

Purposive Sampling(also: Purposeful Sampling, Judgment Sampling)

A non-probability sampling method in which researchers deliberately select participants based on specific characteristics relevant to the research questions. In accessibility research, purposive sampling is commonly used to recruit participants with particular disabilities,…

QUEST(also: Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology)

A standardised outcome measure designed to evaluate a person's satisfaction with their assistive technology device and the services related to it. QUEST 2.0 consists of 12 items rated on a five-point satisfaction scale, covering eight device-related items (dimensions, weight,…

Qualitative Coding(also: Thematic Coding, Open Coding, Axial Coding)

A systematic research method for analyzing qualitative data (such as interview transcripts, survey responses, or text outputs) by assigning labels or codes to segments of data that represent meaningful patterns, themes, or concepts. In accessibility research, qualitative coding…

Qualitative Content Analysis(also: QCA)

A systematic qualitative research method for interpreting the content of text, interview transcripts, or other communication data by coding recurring patterns and organizing them into categories. QCA can be inductive (categories emerge from data) or deductive (categories derived…

Qualitative Data Analysis(also: QDA, Qualitative Analysis)

A research methodology for systematically examining non-numerical data such as interview transcripts, field notes, audio recordings, images, and videos to identify patterns, themes, and meanings. The process typically involves coding data segments, categorizing codes into…

Quality of Life(also: QoL, WHOQOL)

Quality of life (QoL) is a multidimensional construct used in disability, rehabilitation, and accessibility research to capture well-being across physical health, psychological state, social relationships, and environmental factors. The World Health Organization's WHOQOL…

QuickDASH(also: Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand)

A shortened version of the DASH (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand) outcome measure, consisting of 11 items that assess a person's ability to perform upper extremity activities of daily living. The QuickDASH produces scores from 0 (no disability) to 100 (most severe…

Random Walk(also: Random Walk Sampling)

In web-accessibility evaluation, a random walk is a probabilistic sampling method that starts from a seed page (typically the home page) and follows outgoing links according to a probability rule — for example, with probability d follow a uniformly-chosen outgoing link, and with…

Randomization Test(also: Randomisation Test, Permutation Test)

A randomization test (also called a permutation test) is a non-parametric statistical test that computes a p-value by re-shuffling the observed data many times under the null hypothesis and asking how often the re-shuffled data produce a test statistic as extreme as the one…

Red Teaming(also: Generative Red-Teaming, AI Red Teaming)

A structured evaluation practice in which an adversarial team probes a system — traditionally a network or application, increasingly an AI model or conversational agent — with realistic attack scenarios to find failures before malicious actors do. Generative red-teaming…

Reflection-in-Action(also: Reflection-on-Action)

A concept from Donald Schön's theory of reflective practice (The Reflective Practitioner, 1983) describing how skilled practitioners adjust their approach in the moment, based on tacit knowledge and immediate feedback from the situation, rather than by following pre-specified…

Reflexive Ethnography

Reflexive ethnography is an approach to ethnographic research in which the researcher explicitly documents and analyses how their own identity, assumptions, relationships and shifting position in the field shape the knowledge produced. Rather than presenting findings as neutral…

Reflexive Thematic Analysis(also: RTA)

A qualitative data analysis method developed by Braun and Clarke that involves open-coding transcripts, identifying patterns, and organizing findings into themes through iterative refinement. Reflexive thematic analysis emphasizes the researchers's positionality and how their…

Reflexive thematic analysis(also: RTA)

A qualitative research method developed by Braun and Clarke that involves the researcher actively and reflexively generating themes from data, rather than treating themes as pre-existing entities to be discovered. Unlike other thematic analysis approaches, RTA explicitly…

Reflexivity(also: Researcher Reflexivity)

A research practice in which scholars continuously examine how their own identities, positions, assumptions, disciplinary training, and power relationships shape the research they conduct — the questions they ask, the methods they choose, the participants they recruit, and the…

Region of Interest(also: ROI, Area of Interest, AOI)

A specific area within an image, video frame, or user interface that has been identified as particularly relevant or important for analysis or user attention. In eye-tracking research, regions of interest are predefined areas on a stimulus where fixation data is collected to…

Regression(also: Regressive Saccade, Regressive Eye Movement)

In the context of reading and eye tracking, a regression is a backward eye movement (right-to-left in left-to-right scripts) where the reader returns to previously read text. Regressions typically occur when a reader has difficulty understanding a word or passage and needs to…

Rehabilitation science(also: Rehabilitation research)

An interdisciplinary field focused on understanding and improving function, independence, and quality of life for people with disabilities, injuries, or chronic conditions. Rehabilitation science draws on medicine, engineering, psychology, and social science to develop…

Remote Usability Testing(also: Remote User Study, Remote User Evaluation)

Usability testing conducted with participants in their own homes or workplaces rather than in a research lab, typically using video conferencing, screen sharing, or other remote communication tools. Remote methods became especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic and…

Repository Mining(also: Software Repository Mining, Mining Software Repositories)

A research methodology that involves extracting and analysing data from software repositories such as version control systems, bug trackers, code-sharing platforms, and Q&A sites like Stack Overflow. In accessibility research, repository mining has been used to assess whether…

Research Fatigue(also: Participant Fatigue, Community Research Fatigue)

The exhaustion or disengagement experienced by individuals or communities that are repeatedly recruited for research studies, particularly when they see little benefit or change resulting from their participation. In disability communities, research fatigue is a growing concern…

Research Probe(also: Design Research Probe, Technology Probe)

A purpose-built, partially functional artefact — often a software prototype, sensor, or interactive installation — deployed in a study not primarily to deliver a finished product but to provoke reflection, surface user needs, and generate design insight. Distinct from cultural…

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…

Research reciprocity(also: Participatory reciprocity)

The principle that research participation should be a mutually beneficial exchange in which participants gain value — such as social connection, learning opportunities, a sense of contributing to knowledge, or direct improvements to their lives — rather than being treated solely…

Research-through-Design(also: RtD)

A research methodology, articulated by Zimmerman, Forlizzi, and Evenson (2007), in which the act of designing artefacts is itself the mode of inquiry. Knowledge is produced through iterative cycles of prototyping, deployment, evaluation, and reflection, and is typically…

Resistant Reading(also: Reading Against the Grain, Resistant Reader)

A critical reading method, originally articulated by feminist literary theorist Judith Fetterley, that refuses the interpretive framework an author invites the reader to adopt and instead reads texts for what they silence, marginalise, or explain away. In HCI and accessibility…

Response Bias(also: Acquiescence Bias, Yea-Saying Bias)

A systematic tendency for research participants to respond in a particular way regardless of the actual content of the question, distorting data collection and analysis. In accessibility research involving people with intellectual disabilities, acquiescence bias — the tendency…