Glossary » Website Design
“D” link
a “description link”; the letter “D” placed next to an image on a web page that links off to a text description of the image. This enables blind users or users of text browsers to understand the content of an…
Read more »“You are Here” indicator
a way of indicating the current location (or view area) when looking at an overview map, site map, navigation bar, etc. The indicator can be as simple as a dot, a bounding rectangle, an arrow, or a hilited item.
“You…
Read more »3-click rule
The principle that access to any feature of an application, or each logical step in a process, should require no more than 3 clicks. Applying this principle can be tricky because of the ill-defined nature of what constitutes a primary…
Read more »above-the-fold
For webpages, the area that appears in the first screenful when a person loads a page; the part of a web page that can be seen without scrolling.
This is important real estate since users are more likely to…
Read more »affinity diagram
a simple technique for organizing concepts: designers write down ideas on a set of cards and then organize the cards by grouping them and by placing closely related concepts close to each other (e.g. by shuffling the cards on a…
Read more »associative links
links that go to related information in a freeform association, such as see-also links.
Read more »AWT
Abstract Windows Toolkit; a Java library for development of user interfaces, including standard widgets and layout tools.
Read more »bandwidth
the amount of data that can be transmitted across a network during a given period of time. Variance in bandwidth is also an important measure.
Read more »banner ad
(web) an area set off from the rest of a web page by its position and appearance to advertise, inform, promote, or highlight important information. A banner ad is frequently a graphic displayed as a wide horizontal band that can…
Read more »breadcrumbs
on websites, a form of navigation where the current location within the website is indicated by a list of pages above this page in the hierarchy, up to the main page. For example, if you were browsing the products at…
Read more »candy box
in website design, a small box or sidebar that may appear anywhere within a page that hilites interesting tidbits, quotes, small ads, asides, or chunks of related navigation. Often it is a small graphic used like a banner ad and…
Read more »card sorting
a technique for uncovering the hierarchical structure in a set of concepts by having users group items written on a set of cards, often used, for instance, to work out the organization of a website.
For a website, users would…
Read more »cascading stylesheets
CSS; a method for specifying the look of a web page independent of the markup of the structure of that page.
The original intent in HTML markup was to specify the structure of a page and allow the individual user…
Read more »chat
software that enables multiple people in realtime to write messages in a public space, usually in typewritten text. As each person submits a message, it appears at the bottom of a scrolling screen.
Chat groups are usually formed by having…
Read more »closed card sort
a type of card sort that asks users to sort topics into pre-defined categories, as opposed to asking the users to label the categories. Users are provided with a list of topics (e.g. content pieces to go on a website)…
Read more »content blueprint
a specification for the content that will be needed in creating a website or multimedia presentation. The blueprint specifies every page or screen and what components are needed for each. A typical way to specify the necessary elements is to…
Read more »controlled vocabulary system
any interface that is limited to the use of a small vocabulary. This applies to command-line systems, but usually refers to natural language and spoken language systems that, in order to produce consistent, predictable results, limit the number of recognized…
Read more »conversion rate
the percentage of people who achieve a given task from a given starting point. On websites, the percentage of people starting at page A who get to page B. So for instance, if 1000 come to a homepage on a…
Read more »crosslink
a link that goes from one part of a website to another part of the website that is not in the same hierarchical branch, thus breaking out of the pure hierarchy.
Hierarchies are often a very clear organization for a…
Read more »cyberchondria
the overuse & misuse of online health information; the tendency for some people to over-rely on online health resources and to pester their physician with concerns generated by the experience.
Read more »deep links
links from outside a website that go directly to a subpage of a website rather than the homepage, enabling direct linking to highly appropriate and specific content.
Read more »delay
a measure of the time it takes for a message to be transmitted across a network. The variance of the delay is also an important measure. Delay affects the perceived fluidity of a conversation and becomes a more serious problem…
Read more »distance learning
learning in an environment where the instructor and the student are at different locations. Distance learning may take place through the mail, email, the web, and broadcast or two-way video. Distance learning offers the opportunity to reduce educational costs and…
Read more »domain name
a name interpreted by internet software to determine which computer (which server) to access. For instance, diamondbullet.com is a domain name representing the company Diamond Bullet Design and which is translated by internet software to an IP address indicating the…
Read more »doorway page
(or gateway page) a page designed as an entranceway to a website. The most common doorway is a homepage, but a doorway page can be a useful alternative entrance that appeals to a specific target audience. An example is to…
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