15 Terms You Need to Get Used to As a UX Designer

The most common terms explained in plain English.

9 min readDec 19, 2020

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

1. Wireframe

A wireframe is a simplified representation of your website or application. It consists of lines and text that can be hand-drawn or electronic. The focus of the wireframe should be structural elements that represent priority. In this stage, visual design and color are not presented. Like the picture shown below.

2. Mockup

3. Prototype

Compare to wireframes, prototypes are more flexible. They can be responsive and may contain images or content. Prototypes are made from paper or digital tools like Adobe XD. All wireframes are prototypes but just low fidelity without many details. But a high-fidelity prototype is not a wireframe. It takes you as close as to a real representation of UI and should feel like real software to users.

Prototyping On A Budget. NATE DESCHAINEP, 2018.

4. A/B Testing

A/B testing is a controlled experiment for comparing two versions of the design. The goal is to identify which one is more successful. It is a way of testing the designers' hypotheses. A/B testing allows them to confirm whether the hypotheses will work out well or not. It helps you with making the right decisions.

A/B testing. Illustration by: Philip Clark

5. Affordance

Affordance is a feature of an object that made actions possible. Users should understand the affordance of a feature of an object without having to know how to use it. In order words, affordance is a hint for users to interact with a product. For instance, a button should be designed to look as if it should be pushed.

6. Accessibility

Accessibility is about users with disabilities or special needs. It focuses on whether those users can access an equal user experience. Common barriers to accessibility issues are color blindness, hearing difficulties, wheelchair-user concerns, etc.

7. Clickstream

Clickstream is a way of collecting and analyzing data to track users’ actions. It usually takes place during users’ interaction with the product. It is also a method to get unbiased quantitative data about user behavior.

8. Diary Study

A Diary study is a way of a research method used to collect qualitative data about user behavior over time. It is usually designed for understanding long-term user behavior and experiences.

Timeline of activities that take place throughout a typical diary study. Nielsen Norman Group, 2020.

9. Card Sorting

Card sorting is a research method where participants label notes according to certain criteria. It helps designers structure content that is easy to navigate within the information architecture.

Card sorting example of parents seeking a new school for a child

10. KPI — Key Performance Indicator

KPI is a way of monitoring or measuring progress towards a goal. Oxford’s Dictionary says it is a quantifiable measure used to evaluate the success of an organization in meeting objectives. In other words, KPI is a way to show where the gaps are and where to put more attention. KPI's can be used at every level in an organization to keep track.

11. Mood Board

A mood board is a collection of features such as fonts, images, icons, and other UI elements. They help to define the artistic direction of a project. It should be also focused on meeting user needs and problem-solving.

12. Heat Map

It is a map that tells you what part of the webpage a user is more focused on. It uses a color scheme, ranging from warm colors, like red and blue at the cooler end of the color spectrum. The warmer areas say the areas where users are focusing on more.

13. Eye Tracking

Eye-tracking is the measurement of eye activity on a screen. It involves measuring either where the eye is focused or the motion of the eye as an individual view a web page. You can get information on what users look at most and in what order.

Image from Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug, 2013.

14. Fishbone Diagram

It is a diagram designed to visualize all the potential causes of a problem to discover the root cause. The head of the fish states a problem and bones along the spine represent categories of factors. When applied correctly, it ensures that you address the actual cause of the problem.

15. Tech debt

Technical debt or design debt is a cost of more rework caused by choosing an easy solution now. Instead of using a better approach that would take longer. Development teams, for example, would take shortcuts to deliver functioning products faster. Then later on they would work on it again to meet the standard quality.

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