The Most Common UX UI Web Design Buzzwords, Debuzzed

If you’re starting out in the field of UX or UI design, chances are that wherever you look for information or whoever you ask, is bound to give you information in what might seem to you like cryptic language. What we are here to do for you, however, is to demystify the world of UX and UI. So here we have the most common web design buzzwords you’re bound to come across while you scour the internet and what they actually mean:

1. User Experience Design (UXD): Designing software products and systems to be useful to a set of end users. It is a broad concept applied during the design process. UX design covers the technical use of a product or service and its essential physical interface.
2. 3-click Rule: The refers to the theory that users will abandon a website if they are unable to complete their task within 3 mouse clicks.
3. F-Shaped Pattern: This refers to the way users often read information presented on webpages. They usually follow an F-shaped pattern: two horizontal stripes, followed by a vertical stripe.
4. Wireframe: It refers to a simplified sketch of the important information on a page. Also known as page architecture, page schematic, or a blueprint. Basically, it’s a skeleton of the design and should contain all the important elements of the final product.
5. Mockup: This is one of the web design buzzwords, used elsewhere too. Mockup is a medium or highly detailed static representation of the design. A good mockup demonstrates the information structure, content and basic functionality in static form. The process of mockup creation is less time-consuming compared to prototypes.
6. Prototype: A prototype is a medium or a highly detailed representation of the final product and it is often confused with a wireframe. It simulates user interaction with the interface and allows the user to rate the content and interface along with testing the primary options for communication with the app.
7. The Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule): The Pareto principle states that 20% of the functionality and features in any environment will be responsible for 80% of the actions taken within that environment. This principle is applied to websites, web app or software environments.
8. A/B Testing: Also known as split testing, A/B testing is the practice of comparing two versions of a web page with a single variable online to determine which one performs better.
9. API: Application Programming Interfaces, or APIs, are pieces of software that help different applications communicate with each other. Products develop APIs to let you access and read information on their server easily.
10. Grid: A system of horizontal and vertical lines providing a structural basis for page layout and design. It communicates order, economy and consistency. The grid provides a common structure and flexibility for organizing content.
11. Heat Maps: A heat map is a graphical representation of the areas on a product that receive the most user attention. They use a warm-to-cool color spectrum to show where exactly users are going.
12. Gamification: Gamification is the process of integrating game-design elements and principles into products in an effort to drive user engagement.
13. Information Architecture: Information architecture is the practice of arranging content in a product in an understandable manner. It involves organizing the content we interact with, as well as the different structures, such as the website’s navigation, we need in order to interact with it.
14. KPI: KPIs, or Key Performance Indicators, are measurable values that help us understand and track how well a product is doing. As a UX designer, you’ll often work with KPIs like task success rate, user error rate, and time on task.
15. Mental Model: A mental model represents what the user believes to be true about a product’s functionality. The more a user’s mental model aligns with a product’s functionality, the easier it will be for them to use it.

It’s true that relying too much on jargon can make it harder for you to be understood universally. As a professional however, having knowledge of this jargon will open up avenues like research, industry information, conferences, and conversations with experienced peers in the field. So while it’s perfectly okay to not resort to UI UX web design buzzwords in the daily course of life, having them as an arrow in your quiver will only set you apart!