UX Terminology
The mental effort required to use a product.
Cognitive Load
A clean, clutter-free design emphasizing simplicity, whitespace, and essential elements.
Minimalism
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Slack
What does "WCAG" stand for?
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
This app’s signature swipe-right action includes a haptic feedback "click" when successfully liking someone.
Tinder
The ideal process or user flow that occurs when everything goes as planned, without any errors or exceptions.
Happy Path
Raw, unpolished design with harsh contrasts, plain typography, and minimal decoration.
Brutalism
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Duolingo
This WCAG success criterion advises against using _____ as the sole method for conveying information.
Color
This app subtly vibrates your phone when your driver arrives.
Uber
UX tricks that manipulate users into taking unwanted actions.
Dark Patterns
A frosted-glass effect with blurred transparency, often seen in modern UI designs.
Glassmorphism
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spotify
This accessibility feature allows users to navigate a website using voice commands.
Voice Control
This app’s signature animation is a heart that bursts when you double-click something.
The more stimuli (or choices) users face, the longer it will take them to make a decision
Hick’s Law
A UI layout using modular, tile-based card designs for information grouping.
Bento / Grid
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wealthsimple
What is minimum color contrast ratio for normal-sized text according to WCAG AA?
4.5:1
When you pull down to refresh on this app, the loading spinner is replaced by a bouncing bird.
Twitter / X
This law states that the time required to reach a target is a function of the distance to and size of the target.
Designs that mimic real-world objects with textures, shadows, and depth (e.g., Apple’s old Notes app with a leather texture).
Skeuomorphism
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ticketmaster
Developers can use these labels to provide additional context for screen readers when native HTML elements aren’t sufficient.
ARIA labels (Accessible Rich Internet Applications)
This app subtly changes the color of its navigation bar as you scroll down a long feed to indicate depth.