Inclusive Glossary
Accessibility
Accessibility is how easily a system or design can be reached and used.
Example: A website that is navigable by keyboard-only is highly accessible due to the fact it accounts for people without a mouse or with a broken mouse.
Alternative text
Alternative texts are texts that detail and give literal descriptions to images.
Assistive technology
Equipment and systems that allow a user to effectively perform a task.
Examples: Wheelchairs, screen readers, prosthetic devices, and automatic door openers.
Design affordance
A design that clearly suggests how an user should operate the product.
Example: A tea kettle. There is a handle, lid and spout which is direct and easy to figure out for the user.
Dissemination
The act of spreading something widely, especially information.
Example: The dissemination of an email or data/information. This is done so the information is open and viewable to the public.
Heuristic
Enabling someone to independently learn and explore.
Example: A baby is playing with a shape sorter and uses the method of trial and error to figure out where each shape fits in rather than having a guardian point out where each shape should be.
Information architecture
The organizing, structuring, and labeling to support usability and findability.
Example: A website with a search bar on the top right hand corner has a good information architecture because that is where a user would typically look first for a search bar.
Interconnectedness
The state of being connected with one another.
Example: The IRCCloud chat which allows everyone that joined the group to connect with each other.
Interface
The exchanging of information between two separate components of a computer system.
Example: Typing on your keyboard compared to using your mouse.
Metadata
Data that describes other data.
Example: The date created, last edited, or who is viewing your document are examples of metadata.
Multimodal interaction
The multiple modes of user-system interactions.
Example: A website may offer many multimodal interactions such as: a text component, a text to sound option, an alternative text option and etc.
Open Education Resource (OER)
Free and accessible pages/documents used for teaching, learning, and research.
Example: Khan Academy. Khan Academy is a website where students can look up concepts that they don’t understand.
Stewardship
The planning and management of resources.
User Centered Design (UCD)
The process of designing a tool from the perspective of the user, and how the user will use the tool.
User Experience Design (UX)
The process of enhancing the user's experience by making it more usable, accessible, and pleasurable for the user
when interacting with the product.
Example: The use of simulations vs the use textbooks. Simulations can make models and events easier to visualize for students and are widely available, and usually free, on the web.
Textbooks on the other hand must be paid for or loaned and do not contain moving pictures.