Every industry has its own set of terminology used for its unique tools, ideas, and methods – and UX is no different. With such a wide range of definitions and terminologies, it can be hard to distinguish one term from the next. To help you out, here is a list of the most common terms used in UX design and their definitions. From AB testing to wireframes, you’ll find all the terminology you need to talk about UX like an expert.
Relatively new to UX? Check out our Introduction To Enterprise UX to learn more about UX for businesses.
UX terms to know
AB testing
Want to help your employees have a clear path to completing an action? Or maybe you want tasks completed more efficiently?
Whatever the result, A/B testing is the practice of comparing two versions of a product with one variable "split" between them to determine which version performs better.
Accessibility
Accessibility or accessible design is a design process in which designers consider disabilities while designing.
It requires a product to be accessible for people with permanent and temporary disabilities: blindness and low vision, deafness and hearing loss, learning disabilities, cognitive limitations, and neurological disorders.
Analytics
In enterprise UX, we use analytics to measure and analyze user activity on a software application. The accumulated data then provides insights to us on how we can improve the application design to facilitate the end users' current or changing needs.
Design thinking
Design thinking is a strategy for problem-solving that focuses on innovation and creation.
Creatives use design thinking to discover problems and develop creative solutions by thoroughly understanding the users' problems.
End user
End users are the people who will use the finished software application. In the case of enterprise UX, the end users are most commonly the employees.
Heatmap
Heatmaps visually present data such as how application users click, scroll and move on the app. We use heatmaps to identify usability problems with your application.
Interaction design
Interaction design is a subdivision of UX design that focuses on the moment when a user interacts with a product. The goal of designing interactions is to improve the user experience.
KPI
Key performance indicators, or KPIs for short, are quantifiable measurements used to evaluate the performance of an application against its strategic objectives.
Mockup
A mockup visualizes a final digital version of an application. Mockups include layout, typography hierarchy, color, icons, illustrations, and other UI elements. We can consider mockups to be high-fidelity screenshots. They are static and have no functionality.
Prototype
Prototyping is a non-mandatory but welcome step in the design process. Prototypes aim to validate ideas through testing. They are then shared with other vital users and eventually passed to engineering teams for development.
Prototypes can take many forms: sketches on paper, user flows on whiteboards, clickable wireframes in software, prototypes that look like apps or websites but aren't functional yet, etc.
Responsive design
When most people dive into responsive design, they imagine a world where their product magically adapts to fit the screen it's being viewed on. While that is a great thing, there are times when you want your product to display in a particular way. This is where responsive design comes in.
Usability testing
Usability testing is a popular UX research method that helps us understand how users perceive the products. It also helps evaluate the ease of use through user testing sessions.
This type of testing should not be confused with "beta testing". Researchers do these tests while the application is still in development.
User-Centered Design
UCD, also known as User-Centered Design, is a design process that focuses on the user and what makes them tick.
It means involving the user through the design process in a variety of research and design sessions. The aim? Create a highly usable and accessible product for them.
White space
UX researchers consider white space or negative space as an active element in the design. The usage of white space can help elevate the app design while making it usable, intuitive, and ultimately satisfying for the end user.
Wireframes
A wireframe is a rough, skeletal version of the user interface for an application. Wireframes show essential functions and flows of an application.
UX at Rare Crew
Does your company need help with UX? At Rare Crew, we work closely with companies to bring their visions to life. Our UX/UI services help you deliver an excellent experience to your users that captures attention and functions without a hitch. If we sound like a good fit, don’t hesitate to contact us to tell us what you need.