35 terms in (UX) design
By: Cayetano Gros
Tags: Terms, User Interface, UX, User Experience, UI

Back End

Part of a website or web service that makes it work and includes applications, web servers, and databases.

Code

A simplified form of language with very strict rules and syntax used by humans to tell computers what to do.

Coding Language

A specific set of rules and syntax for writing the code that tells computers what to do. This includes programming, assembly, and markup languages such as Ruby, PHP and HTML.

Color Theory

Characteristics of colors and the relationships between them.

Computer Programming

The process of writting and implementing various instructions for a computer to do a particular task (or set of tasks), using code.

CSS [Cascading Style Sheets]

Code that tells browsers how to format and style HTML for a web page and controls things such as font type and colors.

CSS3

The most current version of CSS

Database

Collection of electronic information (data) stored on a web server.

Code

A simplified form of language with very strict rules and syntax used by humans to tell computers what to do.

Front End

The part of a website that can be seen by users and is made up of HTML, CSS and JavaScript code.

Grid System

Set of columns and rows that can be used as guidelines to arrange content on a web page.

HTML [Hypertext Markup Language]

A coding language used to put content on a web page and give it structure. Since HTML doesn’t tell computers to do anything, it’s not considered a programming language.

HTML Element

HTML code made up of an opening tag, a closing tag, and information between them. Example: <p> this is my line element!</p>

HTML5

The most current version of HTML.

Lean or Lean Startup

A popular process for launching products and quickly iterating on them to better meet customer needs, based on continuous customer feedback. Think of it like agile but for companies. This term was popularized by the book The Lean Startup.

Mood Board

An inspirational collection of content showing the visual style for a website including color palette, images, icons, fonts, etc.

MVP [Minimum Viable Product]

A product with the minimally adequate features to meet the needs of early adopters, often used to test a concept or idea without a huge outlay of resources. Popular among lean startups

Native App

A mobile app built using the software development kit (SDK) native to a specific mobile device. Example: any app coded for the IOS.

SDK [Software Development Kit]

Set of tools for creating a specific kind of software.

OOP [Object-Orianted Programming]

A popular way to design software programs (commonly known as a design pattern) where code is organized into objects that have specific and unique attributes and abilities. Example: A blog might include a blog post object that has a title, date, and content attribute. Example of OOP language: Ruby, PHP, Phyton.

Responsive Design & Development

A way to design and code websites such that they can adapt to different-sized devices like phones, tablets, wearable devices, etc.

Sitemap

An outline or map of the pages needed for a website. Usually drawn using lines and boxes to visualize the hierarchy of pages.

HTML5

The most current version of HTML.

Software Development

The process of programming, documenting, testing, and bug fixing involved in creating and maintaining all manner of software applications and frameworks.

UI [User interface]

How a website is laid out and how users interact with it. You have a deep explanation here.

UX [User Experience]

What a user experiences when they interact with the product. You have a deep explanation here.

User Flow

Map of the path users take from getting to a website to taking an action on the site.

User Persona

Profile of an imaginary person who would use a website; used to define who a site is for and what their needs are.

User Research

Investigating how users act and what they need and want in order to better design a website for them.

Version Control

Software used to keep track of changes to code files, similar to the Track Changes feature of Word. Used by software teams so that they can work on the same code files at the same time without overwriting one another’s work. Example: Git, Subversion.

Web Application or Web App

A website with complex functionality and heavy interactivity. Example: Twitter, Facebook, Bank of America.

Web App Framework

A series of pre-written code that is used by developers as starting point to building their web applications. Example: Ruby on Rails, Bootstrap, Angular JS

Wireframe

A simple sketch of the key information that goes on each web page, usually done in black and white with boxes, line, and placeholder text.

Web designer

A designer who specializes in designing websites and web apps.

Web developer

A software developer who specializes in coding website and web applications.