Usability Testing

A process in which subjects use a product or service under test conditions and report their experience.

More terms you might want to know

ID

A selector that can be applied to any HTML element. ID should be used when designing for a single instance, such as using the id="main" attribute on an <h1> tag.

Pull Quote

A brief snippet taken from the text of an article.

Vertex

The meeting point where two lines cross.

User Scenario

An example of a typical user and the actions they take. Typically these are written in the form of a story.

Composition

An organised arrangement of elements used for a particular purpose, such as to create striking visual effects or to convey information effectively. Good composition is achieved through different methods, such as placing figures or objects in a scene, revising and simplifying lines and shapes that make up a figure, and arranging multiple figures or objects into meaningful relationships.

Hand-lettering

The art of drawing original characters and symbols — especially for decorative purposes.

Baseline

An imaginary line on which most letters "sit". As such, it equals the height of an em square. The expected result of a baseline is to reference the height with which text is aligned. The alignment ranges from ascenders, which are the upper strokes in b, d, and h, down to descenders like j or y.

Heuristic Evaluation

A usability assessment method that is used to evaluate a design against established usability principles or heuristics. It is based on the idea that designers can use their experience to find areas of poor design without extensive user testing.

Orphan

One or more words (typically at the end of a paragraph) that are separated from the rest of the text. Orphans are generally thought of as bad design, but it’s a matter of taste.

Slab Serif

A type of serif, characterized by large x-heights and thick, blocky strokes with little variation in width.

Problem?

Got a suggestion or found an issue with the glossary?
Let me know!