Key Terms for Foundations of Design

Accessibility

The design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities

Alternative Text (Alt Text)

Text that helps translate something visual, such as am images or graph, into a description that can be read by screen readers

Assistive Technology

Any products, equipment, or systems that enhance learning, working, and daily living for people with disabilities

Brand Identity

The visual appearance and voice of a company

Call-To-Action (CTA)

A visual prompt that tells the user to take action, like to click a button

Color Modification

Features that increase the contrast of colors on a screen, like high-contrast mode or dark mode

Digital Literacy

A user’s level of ability related to using digital information and technologies

Equality

Providing the same amount of opportunity and support

Equity-Focused Design

Designing for groups that have been historically underrepresented or ignored when building products

Framework

Creates the basic structure that focuses and supports the problem you’re trying to solve

Ideation

The process of generating a broad set of ideas on a given topic, with no attempt to judge or evaluate them

Inclusive Design

Making design choices that take into account personal identifiers like ability, race, economic status, language, age, and gender

Insight

An observation that helps you understand the user or their needs from a new perspective

Iterate

Revise the original design to create a new and improved version

Iteration

Doing something again, by building on previous versions and making tweaks.

Platform

The medium that users experience your product on.

Responsive Web Design

A design approach that allows a website to change automatically depending on the size of the device.

Screen Reader

Software that reads aloud any on-screen text, interactive elements, or alternative text.

Speech to Text

Software that allows users to compose text by speaking into their device.

Switch Device

An assistive technology device that replaces the need to use a computer keyboard or a mouse.

Universal Design

The process of creating one product for users with the widest range of abilities and in the widest range of situations.

User

Any person who uses a product

User-Centered Design

Puts the user front-and-center.

Voice Control

Allows users to navigate and interact with the buttons and screens on their devices using only their voice.

Advertising Agencies

Teams of creatives hired by clients to build marketing campaigns

Apprenticeships

Provides on-the-job training to help people develop real skills

Assets

Everything from the text and images to the design specifications, like font style, color, size, and spacing

Design Agency

A one-stop shop for the look of brands, products, and services

Empathy

The ability to understand someone else’s feelings or thoughts in a situation

Freelancers

Designers who work for themselves and market their services to businesses to find customers

Generalist

A UX designer with a broad number of responsibilities

Graphic Designers

Create visuals that tell a story or message

Information Architecture

The framework of a website or how it’s organized, categorized, and structured

Interaction Designers

Focus on designing the experience of a product and how it functions

Internship

A short term job with limited responsibility

Motion Designers

Think about what it feels like for a user to move through a product

Product

A good, service, or feature

Production Designers

Make sure first and final designs match in the finished product

Prototype

An early model of a product that demonstrates functionality

Specialist

A designer who dives deep into one particular type of user experience, like interaction design, visual design, or motion design

Startup

A new business that wants to develop a unique product or service and bring it to market

T-Shaped Designer

A designer who specializes in one kind of user experience (e.g., interaction, visual, motion) and has a breadth of knowledge in other areas

UX Designers

Focus on how users interact with a product

User Experience

How a person, the user, feels about interacting with, or experiencing, a product

UX Engineers

Translate the design’s intent into a functioning experience

UX Program Managers

Ensure clear and timely communication so that the process of building a useful product moves smoothly from start to finish

UX Research

Understand users and learn about their backgrounds, demographics, motivations, pain points, emotions, and life goals

UX Researchers

A type of researcher that conducts studies or interviews to learn about the users of a product and how people use a product

UX Writers

Create the language that appears throughout a digital product, like websites or mobile apps

Visual Designers

Focus on how the product or technology looks

Wireframe

An outline or a sketch of a product or a screen

Design Thinking

A UX design framework that focuses on the user throughout all five phases: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test

Empathize

The phase of design thinking that involves getting to know your user through research.

Ideate

The phase of design thinking that involves brainstorming all potential solutions to the user’s problem.

Insight

An observation that helps you understand the user or their needs from a new perspective

Test

The phase of design thinking that involves facilitating and observing user tests with your design prototypes

UI Design

Designing intuitive layouts, navigation menus, and interactive elements for digital products

Graphic Design

Creating visually appealing and easy-to-understand marketing materials and signage

Product Design

Conceptualizing and creating products that meet user needs and solve specific problems

UX Design

Enhancing the overall user experience by conducting research and usability testing

Experimental Design

Creating immersive and memorable experiences for users

Service Design

Improving the quality and delivery of services to meet customer needs

Arts and Crafts Movement

emerged as a response to industrialization, championing craftsmanship and individuality in stark contrast to mass production. This movement encouraged designers to imagine a world where each item is a unique piece of art crafted with care.

Bauhaus Movement

This movement sought to unit art and industry, emphasizing functionality and innovation and shaping the foundation for modern design principles that transcend the boundaries between art and utility; marriage of form and function

Gothic Revival Movement

significantly influenced design, drawing inspiration from medieval gothic architecture. Characterized by pointed arches, intricate ornamentation, and a sense of grandeur

Modern/Modernism

characterized by clean lines and organic shapes. Designs from this era, such as the timeless Eames chair, epitomized a harmonious blend of aesthetics and functionality.

Pop Art Movement

injected a sense of playfulness into design. Bright colors and iconic imagery became hallmarks, challenging traditional notions and highlighting the difference between art for emotional expression and design for societal reflection.

Dieter Rams with Braun

significantly influenced design philosophy; championed a minimalist approach, focusing on functionality, simplicity, and sustainability. This design ethos not only revolutionized the consumer product industry, but also reinforced the distinction between design's purpose driven ethos and art's emotional resonance.

Postmodernism

challenged the rigid principles of modernism. This movement celebrated diversity, eclecticism, and a playful mix of styles, underscoring the ever evolving nature of design in response to cultural shifts.

Eastern Design

Confucian values and Taoism; rich in symbolism and deep meanings; materials such as bamboo, silk and porcelain; harmony, balance and simplicity; functionality and utility; has influenced modern minimalist design and technology

African Design

Diverse cultural traditions; nature, animals, and community symbolism; varied materials including wood, clay, and textiles; vibrant colors, intricate patterns and craftsmanship; practical, ceremonial, and decorative; increasingly influencing contemporary design trends

Indigenous Design

Culture, traditions, and beliefs of specific indigenous communities; deeply tied to the land, environment, and spirituality symbolism; locally available materials, such as natural fibers, clay and plants; deep connection to nature and community, often featuring organic shapes and patterns; cultural and spiritual significance in rituals, ceremonies and daily life; gaining recognition and influence in the global design community, contributing to sustainable and culturally sensitive design practices

!0 User Guidelines

1. Visibility of System Status

2. Match Between System and the Real World

3. User Control and Freedom

4. Consistency and Standards

5. Error Prevention

6. Recognition Rather Than Recall

7. Flexibility and Efficiency of Use

8. Aesthetic and Minimalist Design

9. Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover from Errors

10. Help and Documentation

Visibility of System Status

Focuses on keeping users informed about what’s happening within the interface

Match Between System and the Real World

Stresses the importance of aligning the digital interface with user’s real world experiences

User Control and Freedom

Emphasizes providing users with a sense of control over their interactions within the system

Consistency and Standards

Advocating for uniformity and design elements and interactions throughout the interface

Error Prevention

Focuses on designing interfaces that minimizes the likelihood of user mistakes

Recognition Rather than Recall

Advocates for designing interfaces that rely on recognition rather than recall

Flexibility and Efficiency of Use

Emphasizes designing for both novice and expert users

Aesthetic and Minimalist Design

Encourages designers to pursue aesthetic and minimalist design principles

Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover from Errors

Addresses the inevitability of user errors and emphasizes providing effective error handling

Help and Documentation

Acknowledges that despite efforts to create intuitive interfaces, there will be instances where users require assistance

Hick’s Law

The time it takes for a person to make a decision increases with the number of alternatives available

Fitts’s Law

Describes the relationship between the time it takes to move to a target and the distance to the target, emphasizing that larger targets and shorter distances result in faster and more accurate movements

Gestalt Principles

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”

• Proximity

• Chunking

• Similarity

• Closure

• Simplicity

Gestalt Principle of Proximity

Even if elements are different they will appear similar if grouped together

Gestalt Principle of Chunking

Grouping individual pieces of information into larger, meaningful units to bypass the short-term limitations of working memory

Gestalt Principle of Similarity

If elements look similar they are perceived as a group. Depends on:

• Form

• Brightness

• Color

Gestalt Principle of Closure

If shapes aren’t closed, user perception completes shape

Gestalt Principle of Continuation

User is compelled to visually move through an object and continue to another

Gestalt Principle of Figure-Ground

The eye naturally separates a design into a foreground (primary focus/object) and a background (negative space)

Gestalt Principle of Common Fate

Elements that move or change in the same direction at the same time are perceived as a related group

Gestalt Principle of Common Region

Objects enclosed within a shared boundary or background area are perceived as a distinct group

Gestalt Principle of Symmetry and Order

The brain prefers symmetrical, balanced, and harmonious patterns over chaotic or disorganized ones

Gestalt Law of Simplicity

The overarching law stating that the brain will always interpret complex or ambiguous visual patterns in their simplest, most orderly form

User Experience Research

The practice of studying users to understand their needs, behaviors, and challenges in order to inform design decisions

Quantitative Research

Research the focuses on measuring how often behaviors occur using numerical data, such as surveys or analytics

Foundational Research

Early-stage research used to understand user problems, needs, and context before design solutions are created

Design Research

Research conducted during the design process to evaluate ideas, concepts, or prototypes and inform design decisions