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Glossary of Terms
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Affordance
The connection between appearance and behavior in user interface design. If the user can correctly deduce the behavior of a control based on general experience and experience with user interfaces, the control is said to have good affordance.
Alert Dialog
A custom message in a secondary window that describes an error or warning condition. No user decision is required. Control button is "OK". Requires hi-tech toolset.
Analogous
Colors that are next to each other on the color wheel.
Animation
A sequence of illustrations that give the illusion of motion. The two basic branches of animation are 2D and 3D
Anti-aliasing
A process of blurring a jagged (pixilated) line to give the appearance of a smooth line. Often applied to type.
Ascender
The part of tall lowercase letters, such as b, d, and h, that extends above the x-height of other lowercase letters.
Brower
The software used to view, manage, and access web pages by interpreting hypertext and hyperlinks. The two most common browsers are Netscape and Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Browser Cache
A disk or RAM area that stores Web files to shorten access time when these files are needed again. Items in the cache are purged, oldest first, or all, when space is needed for current files.
Compression
A method of packing data in order to make a file or a data stream smaller for faster transmission or to take up less storage space.
Confirmation Dialog
A custom message in a secondary window that describes a warning condition requiring a user decision. Control buttons are usually a submit and reset button (e.g., "OK" and "Cancel" or "Yes" and "No"). Some confirmations offer three choices; for example, a save dialog ("Yes", "No", "Cancel").
Conflict
Exception condition where two or more data entry field values have been found to be inconsistent with one another.
Consistency Check
A type of edit check to determine if a data entry field value is consistent with one or more field values.
Contrast
The degree of tonal separation in the range from black to white.
Corporate Identity
A defined system of graphic elements that represents a company or an organization. This includes the logo, typefaces, colors, and the overall look integrated throughout business materials: business cards, stationery, packaging, signage, advertising, promotions, websites, etc.
Cross-Field Edit
Type of consistency check between two or more fields within a page.
Cross Page Edit
Type of consistency check between two or more fields on different pages.
Descender
The part of lowercase letters, such as g, p, and q, that extends below the baseline.
Edit Check
A check by the system to verify that data entry field values are valid or consistent.
Entry Cursor or Typing Cursor
A cursor usually shown as a vertical line, used to indicate to the user where data will be inserted when it is typed.
Feedback Line
Dedicated area below the page header used to display feedback or exception messages.
Font
A complete set of characters in one design, size, and style. This may be comprised of multiple sizes and styles of a typeface design.
Global Navigation
Navigation that appears on every page of the site. Items such as Contact Info, Search, and Home are typically global navigation.
GIF
Stands for Graphic Interchange Format. GIF images are the most widely used graphic format on the web. GIF images display up to 256 colors.
Heuristics
Guidelines that have been proven effective over time with research and testing. They are used to guide appropriate site revisions and problem solving.
Hexadecimal
A numbering system which uses a base of 16. The first ten digits are 0-9 and the next six are A-F. Hexadecimal numbers are used to color web pages. For example, the hexadecimal equivalent for the color white is #FFFFFF.
Hierarchy
Categorization of items or groups according to rank, grade, or status.
HTML
Stands for HyperText Markup Language. It is a cross-platform text formatting system for creating web pages, including copy, images, sounds, frames, animation and more.
Icon
A graphic or pictorial symbol used to represent an abstract or concrete object or process. Icons may be used as part of buttons, feedback line messages, hypertext links, Q&A page questions.
Information Architecture
The organization of information on a Web site.
Information Design
A form of design directed at making information clear and understandable as opposed to merely visually attractive or information intensive. An approach to arranging data into meaningful organization.
Interaction Design
A branch of interface design referring to the feel and operation of multimedia. Feedback.
Interface Design
Designing the interaction and visual display of content and elements for electronic products with an eye towards intuitive understanding and ease of use.
JPEG
Stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. It is typically the file format for full-color and black-and-white graphic images. JPEG images allow for more colors than GIF images and are usually smaller in size.
Modal dialog
Requirement for closing a dialog box before any action can be taken on the parent page. For example, if a user's action generates an alert, the user must select "OK" before continuing with the application. Requires hi-tech toolset.
Modal task
A task in which the user is required to proceed in a fixed sequence of operations.
Monochromatic
Consisting of only a single color or hue, may include tints and shades.
Monospaced font
A type style in which all characters take up the same amount of horizontal space, an "I" is as wide as an "M". Monospace fonts like Courier, are commonly found in typewriter material, and in early computer displays.
M-space
The width of a letter "m" in a given font and size. Known in typesetting as an M-quad.
Multimedia
Graphical or auditory data presented on a Web page using sound, animation, or video.
Navigation
Controls that allow a user to move around a product, as well as elements that provide spatial cues.
Optional Standard
A page element that is not required, but if used, must be implemented as specified.
Orientation
The use of good information architecture and navigation to provide explicit indication of where you are in the site structure.
Page Element
Object on a page such as a data entry field, column header, instruction, etc.
Playback Controls
VCR-like controls that allow the user to play, rewind, fast forward, and stop movies or sounds.
Primary Navigation
Typically the most important or most commonly used site navigation elements. Primary navigation elements rank high in navigation hierarchy and are the main means of navigating through a Web site.
Prompt Dialog
A custom message in a secondary window that requires the entry of data by the user (e.g., changing the values for one of two data entry fields on the message). Control buttons are "OK" and "Cancel". Requires hi-tech toolset.
Proportional Font
Font in which each character is allocated an amount of horizontal space determined by its width. For example, Times New Roman is a proportional font.
Prototype
The inventive phase in a multimedia project that comes after concept and planning and explores many possible designs. Prototypes can be functional and non-functional.
Rollover
An area on a Web page that triggers an event when the user moves their cursor over it. The event can appear directly over the original item or on another area of the page. Also known as a "mouseover".
Roman Font
The normal, upright font in a serif family, as distinguished from the italic or bold italic versions.
Sans Serif Font
Characters in a sans serif font do not have serifs (a broadening at the ends of vertical strokes). For example, Arial is a sans serif font.
Serif Font
Characters in a serif font have a broadening at the ends of vertical strokes. Serifs improve the legibility of text in paragraphs. For example, Times New Roman is a serif font.
Site Map
A diagram or outline of site navigation or structure. Also an orientation tool, it provides an overview to help visitors or designers understand the structure and navigation of a site.
Submit Button
Generic: category of controls, all of which sends data to the server (e.g., "Submit", "Done", "OK", "Yes") Specific: "Submit" sends data to the server.
Typeface
A typeface contains a series of fonts. For example, the typeface Arial contains the fonts Arial, Arial Bold, Arial Italic and Arial Bold Italic.
Typography
The design, arrangement, style, and appearance of type.
Web Safe Colors
A group of 216 solid colors that displays consistently on all computer monitors, or web browsers, capable of displaying at least 8-bit color.
Web Site
A home page and all associated pages, files and images. |
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