UX/UI Vocabulary Vocabulary

a design quality suggesting how an object should be used

“The button's raised appearance provides affordance for clicking.”

Origin: English afford 'to provide' from Old English geforthian 'to further' + -ance

the mental effort required to process information

“Reducing cognitive load helps users complete tasks faster.”

Origin: Latin cognitio 'knowledge' + load from Old English lad 'way, course'

a practical rule of thumb for evaluating usability

“Nielsen's heuristics guide interface evaluation.”

Origin: Greek heuriskein 'to find, discover' related to heureka 'I have found it'

designing for users of all abilities and disabilities

“Accessibility requirements shaped the color contrast choices.”

Origin: Latin accessus 'approach' from accedere 'to approach' + -ibility

the ease with which users can accomplish their goals

“Usability testing revealed the form was too complex.”

Origin: Latin usabilis 'fit for use' from uti 'to use' + -ability

a skeletal outline of a page layout without visual design

“The wireframe established the basic information hierarchy.”

Origin: English wire + frame, referring to the structural outline

a high-fidelity visual representation of a design

“The mockup showed exactly how the final product would look.”

Origin: English mock 'imitation' + up, originally from printing industry

any obstacle that slows or prevents user goal completion

“Removing friction from checkout increased conversions.”

Origin: Latin frictio 'rubbing' from fricare 'to rub'

the process of introducing users to a product

“Effective onboarding reduced user drop-off by 40%.”

Origin: English on + boarding, metaphor from ship/plane boarding

the structural design of shared information environments

“Good information architecture makes content findable.”

Origin: Latin informatio 'concept, idea' + Greek arkhitekton 'master builder'