UX Glossary

Above the fold is the part of a web page users see right after it loads, without scrolling. It shapes their first impression and decides if they stay.

A/B testing compares two versions of a page or feature with real users to measure which one performs better against a clearly defined goal.

Accessibility means designing digital products so everyone can use them, including people with visual, hearing, motor or cognitive impairments.

An affordance is a property of an object that suggests how it can be used. A button looks pressable, a slider looks like it can be dragged sideways.

A call to action (CTA) is an element that prompts users to take a specific action, such as a button reading "Start free trial" or "Add to cart".

Card sorting is a research method where users group content written on cards. It shows how they expect information to be organized and labeled.

Cognitive load is the amount of mental effort people need to understand and use an interface, from reading content to making decisions.

Conversion rate is the percentage of visitors who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase, signing up or requesting a demo.

A customer journey map visualizes the steps, thoughts and feelings customers go through, from first contact with a product to using it day to day.

Dark patterns are design tricks that steer users into choices they wouldn't consciously make, such as unwanted purchases, subscriptions or data sharing.

A design system is a maintained set of components, rules and design tokens that helps a team build consistent interfaces faster and with less rework.

Design thinking is a problem-solving approach that starts with people's needs and validates ideas early through quick prototypes and user testing.

An empathy map is a simple canvas that captures what users say, think, do and feel, so a team can build a shared view of their perspective.

Fitts's Law states that the larger and closer a target is, the faster and more accurately people can hit it with a mouse pointer or a finger.

Friction is anything that slows users down, confuses them or adds effort on the way to their goal, such as needless form fields or unclear copy.

Gestalt principles describe how the brain automatically groups separate elements into patterns, for example by proximity, similarity or closure.

A heuristic evaluation is an expert review in which usability specialists systematically check an interface against a set of proven design principles.

Hick's Law says that the time it takes to make a decision increases with the number of equally likely options a person has to choose from.

Information architecture is how content and features are organized, labeled and connected so that people can find what they are looking for.

Jakob's Law says users expect your site to work like the many other sites they already use, because that is where they spend most of their time.

Jobs to be Done is a framework that asks which job customers want to get done with a product, rather than grouping them by demographics alone.

A mental model is the internal picture people form of how a system works and what will happen when they take a particular action.

Microcopy is the short text inside an interface, such as button labels, error messages and hints, that guides people through a product.

A microinteraction is a small, self-contained moment in a product that does one job, like toggling a setting, liking a post or showing progress.

A minimum viable product (MVP) is the simplest version of a product that lets you test a core assumption with real users and learn quickly.

Onboarding is the phase in which new users get to know a product and experience, for the first time, the value they signed up for.

A persona is a fictional but research-based profile of a typical user group that helps teams design for real people, not an abstract average.

Progressive disclosure shows only the most important information and options first, and reveals details or advanced settings when people need them.

A prototype is an early, testable version of a product or feature that lets you check ideas with users before time and budget go into development.

The System Usability Scale (SUS) is a ten-item questionnaire that measures how usable people perceive a product to be, as a score from 0 to 100.

Tree testing checks whether people can find content in a text-only version of your navigation structure, without any visual design in the way.

Usability describes how effectively, efficiently and satisfyingly people can reach their goals with a product in a specific context of use.

A usability test observes real people as they complete typical tasks with your product, revealing exactly where and why they struggle.

User-centered design is an approach where the needs, goals and behavior of real users guide every product decision, from research to release.

User experience (UX) covers everything people perceive, think and feel before, during and after using a product or service.

A user flow maps, step by step, the path someone takes through your product to reach a specific goal, including every decision along the way.

The user interface (UI) is the layer people interact with in a digital product: buttons, forms, menus, text, layout and the feedback they get back.

User research is the systematic study of your users, their goals, problems and behavior, so that product decisions are based on evidence, not guesswork.

Visual hierarchy arranges elements by importance so the eye catches what matters first, using size, contrast, color, spacing and position.

A wireframe is a simplified sketch of a page or screen that shows structure, content and functionality, before any visual design is applied.