Glossary

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Research-through-Design(also: RtD)

A research methodology, articulated by Zimmerman, Forlizzi, and Evenson (2007), in which the act of designing artefacts is itself the mode of inquiry. Knowledge is produced through iterative cycles of prototyping, deployment, evaluation, and reflection, and is typically…

Scaffolding(also: Instructional Scaffolding, Cognitive Scaffolding)

A support strategy that provides temporary, structured assistance to help a learner accomplish tasks they cannot yet perform independently. In digital accessibility, scaffolding can take the form of progressive disclosure, step-by-step guidance, contextual help, or adaptive…

Scenario-based design(also: SBD, Scenario-driven design)

A design methodology that uses narrative descriptions of how people interact with technology in specific contexts to drive the design process. Scenarios ground abstract requirements in concrete human experiences, helping designers anticipate real-world use situations including…

Shift-Left Accessibility(also: Early-Stage Accessibility, Accessibility by Design)

An approach to software development that moves accessibility considerations earlier in the development lifecycle — from testing and remediation phases to requirements gathering and design phases. The term borrows from the broader "shift-left" movement in software engineering,…

Socio-Technical Infrastructure(also: Sociotechnical System)

The interconnected combination of social structures (institutions, policies, norms, relationships) and technical systems (software, hardware, platforms) that together shape how people interact with technology and each other. In accessibility contexts, socio-technical…

Somaesthetic Appreciation(also: somaesthetics)

A design philosophy concerned with cultivating heightened bodily awareness and first-person experience as a resource for interaction design. Derived from philosopher Richard Shusterman's somaesthetics, it positions the body not merely as a tool or data source, but as a site of…

Surrogate Users(also: Proxy Users)

Individuals who stand in for actual end users during design and evaluation processes, typically used when direct user involvement is impractical, ethically problematic, or insufficient. In accessibility research, surrogate users may include actors trained to portray people with…

Tactile Ideation(also: Tactile Design Workshop, Non-Visual Ideation)

A design methodology adapted for people with visual disabilities that replaces visual ideation techniques (such as sketching, post-it notes, and ideation cards) with tactile and auditory alternatives. Techniques include using physical objects as conversation prompts…

Tactile Rendering

The process of converting visual or spatial information into a tactile format that can be perceived through touch by blind or visually impaired users. Tactile rendering involves decisions about how to represent 3D objects, spatial relationships, depth, and visual attributes…

Tailorability(also: Tailorable systems)

A design property, central to infrastructuring theory, that allows users to configure, extend, or repurpose a system after deployment to fit their local use context. Tailorability goes beyond 'customisation' by anticipating that users will adapt tools in ways their original…

Tension-Informed Design(also: Designing with Tensions)

A design framework that identifies and centres the tensions—competing demands, trade-offs, and misalignments—that arise when introducing new technology into established professional practices. Rather than treating adoption barriers as obstacles to eliminate, tension-informed…

Theater in Design(also: Forum Theater, Design Theater)

A participatory design technique using professional actors to portray users with disabilities or older adults, allowing design teams to engage with user needs without directly involving potentially fragile individuals. Developed by Newell and colleagues at the University of…

Universal Access Reference Model(also: UARM)

A conceptual framework for understanding and addressing the full range of user needs in information and communication technology. The Universal Access Reference Model provides a structured approach to identifying and removing barriers to accessibility by modelling the…

Usability Engineering

A systematic, structured approach to designing and evaluating user interfaces that applies engineering principles to usability. Usability engineering involves defining measurable usability goals, conducting user analysis, iterative prototyping, and empirical testing with…

User Empowerment(also: Design for User Empowerment)

A design philosophy that prioritizes giving users, particularly people with disabilities, the agency and tools to solve their own problems, customize their experiences, and participate as active creators rather than passive consumers of technology. Coined in accessibility…

User Sensitive Inclusive Design(also: USID)

A design methodology proposed as an alternative to User Centred Design for populations with highly diverse and dynamically changing needs, particularly older people. User Sensitive Inclusive Design replaces "centred" with "sensitive" to acknowledge that it may be impossible to…

User-Centred Design(also: UCD, User-Centered Design, Human-Centred Design)

An iterative design methodology that places the needs, characteristics, and limitations of end users at the centre of each stage of the design process. In accessibility, user-centred design involves people with disabilities as active participants throughout design and…

User-System Model(also: User-System Interaction Model)

A conceptual model that describes the relationship between a user and the technology system they interact with, taking into account the user's abilities, preferences, and needs alongside the system's capabilities, interfaces, and constraints. In accessibility engineering,…

Value Sensitive Design(also: VSD)

A design methodology that accounts for human values in a principled and systematic way throughout the technology design process. Value Sensitive Design integrates three types of investigation: conceptual (identifying stakeholders and their values), empirical (studying how people…

Wizard of Oz Study(also: WOZ Study, Wizard of Oz Method)

A research method in which participants interact with what they believe is an automated system, but which is actually operated in whole or in part by a human "wizard" hidden from view. The method is used to evaluate the usability and desirability of interfaces that do not yet…