The study of architectural concepts, including the principles and methodologies used in the design and construction of buildings and structures. Useful for understanding spatial design and applying architectural principles to digital interfaces.
3-Tiered Architecture is a software design pattern that separates an application into three layers: presentation, logic, and data. Crucial for improving scalability, maintainability, and flexibility in software development.
The high-level structure of a software application, defining its components and their interactions. Essential for designing robust, scalable, and maintainable digital products.
Proof of Concept (PoC) is a demonstration, usually in the form of a prototype or pilot project, to verify that a concept or theory has practical potential. Crucial for validating ideas, demonstrating feasibility, and securing support for further development in product design and innovation processes.
A user research technique where participants organize information into categories to inform information architecture and design. Essential for creating intuitive information architectures and improving user experience.
The primary brand in a brand architecture that serves as the foundation for all sub-brands and extensions. Essential for providing a unified brand strategy and leveraging brand equity across multiple products.
Research focused on understanding and improving information architecture (IA), ensuring that information is logically and intuitively organized for users. Crucial for optimizing the organization and accessibility of information.
The main brand in a brand architecture that houses sub-brands or extensions. Crucial for providing overarching brand identity and consistency across sub-brands.
Model-View-Controller (MVC) is an architectural pattern that separates an application into three main logical components: the Model (data), the View (user interface), and the Controller (processes that handle input). Essential for creating modular, maintainable, and scalable software applications by promoting separation of concerns.
A method for organizing information based on five categories: category, time, location, alphabet, and continuum. Useful for creating clear and effective information architectures.
Numeronym for the word "Modularization" (M + 12 letters + N), dividing a system into separate, interchangeable modules that can be developed, tested, and maintained independently. Important for improving maintainability and scalability of systems.
Location, Alphabet, Time, Category, and Hierarchy (LATCH) is a framework for categorizing information. Useful for creating clear and intuitive information structures in digital products.
The use of physical space to convey brand identity and values through design elements like signage, architecture, and interior design. Crucial for enhancing brand presence and creating immersive brand experiences.
A cognitive bias where people prefer a greater variety of options when making simultaneous choices compared to sequential choices. Important for designers to consider user preferences for variety when designing choice architectures and product offerings.
The degree to which a system's components may be separated and recombined, often used in the context of software or hardware design. Important for enhancing flexibility, reusability, and ease of maintenance in design.
A brand architecture strategy where all products share a common brand name and identity. Essential for creating a cohesive brand image and leveraging brand equity across products.
A decision-making strategy where individuals are prompted to make a choice rather than defaulting to a pre-set option. Useful for increasing user engagement and ensuring intentional decision-making.
A brand architecture strategy where multiple distinct brands are managed under a single parent company. Crucial for managing diverse product lines and maximizing market reach.
A cognitive architecture model that explains how humans can learn and adapt to new tasks. Useful for understanding user learning and behavior adaptation, informing better user experience design.
Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) is a visual representation of the relationships between entities in a database. Essential for designing and understanding the data structure and relationships within digital products.
A principle often used in behavioral economics that suggests people evaluate options based on relative comparisons rather than absolute values. Important for understanding decision-making and designing choices that highlight beneficial comparisons.
Software that acts as an intermediary between different systems or applications, enabling them to communicate and function together. Crucial for integrating various components and ensuring seamless interaction within digital products.
A methodology for creating design systems by breaking down interfaces into their basic components (atoms, molecules, organisms, templates, and pages). Essential for creating scalable and maintainable design systems.
The act of designing and implementing subtle interventions to influence behavior in a predictable way. Crucial for guiding user behavior effectively without limiting freedom of choice.
The practice of linking one page of a website to another page on the same website, improving navigation, user experience, and SEO. Essential for enhancing website structure, user engagement, and search engine optimization.
The structural design of a product, defining its components, their relationships, and how they interact to fulfill the product's purpose. Important for ensuring that a product is well-organized, scalable, and maintainable.
A strategic framework that designs user experiences to guide behavior and decisions towards desired outcomes. Crucial for creating effective and ethical influence in digital interfaces.
Enterprise Architecture (EA) is a strategic framework used to align an organization's business strategy with its IT infrastructure. Crucial for optimizing processes, improving agility, and ensuring that technology supports business goals.
The design of environments in which people make decisions, influencing their choices and behaviors. Important for creating user experiences that guide decision-making processes effectively.
The practice of organizing the context in which people make decisions to influence the outcomes, often used to nudge users towards certain behaviors. Crucial for designing user experiences that guide decision-making and improve outcomes.
A brand that is supported by a stronger brand, typically a parent brand, which lends its credibility. Essential for leveraging the strength of a parent brand to build trust and recognition for a sub-brand.
The concept that humans have a finite capacity for attention, influencing how they perceive and interact with information. Crucial for designing user experiences that are not overwhelming and facilitate focus.
Operations and processes that occur on a server rather than on the user's computer. Important for handling data processing, storage, and complex computations efficiently.
New Product Development (NPD) is the complete process of bringing a new product to market, from idea generation to commercialization. Essential for companies to innovate, stay competitive, and meet evolving customer needs through a structured approach to creating and launching new offerings.
A component in neural networks that allows the model to focus on specific parts of the input, improving performance. Essential for developing advanced AI models, particularly in natural language processing.
Large Language Model (LLM) is an advanced artificial intelligence system trained on vast amounts of text data to understand and generate human-like text. Essential for natural language processing tasks, content generation, and enhancing human-computer interactions across various applications in product design and development.
Knowledge Organization System (KOS) refers to a structured framework for organizing, managing, and retrieving information within a specific domain or across multiple domains. Essential for improving information findability, enhancing semantic interoperability, and supporting effective knowledge management in digital environments.
The path or sequence of actions users follow based on information scent to find their desired information. Crucial for understanding user behavior and optimizing content discovery paths.
A type of long-term memory involving information that can be consciously recalled, such as facts and events. Important for understanding how users retain and recall information in design.
An algorithm used by Google Search to rank web pages in their search engine results, based on the number and quality of links to a page. Essential for understanding search engine optimization and improving website visibility.
A parameter that controls the randomness of AI-generated text, affecting creativity and coherence. Important for fine-tuning the behavior and output of AI models.
A design principle that states the design of a product or interface should primarily serve its intended purpose or functionality. Important for creating digital designs that are both practical and user-friendly.
The process of training an AI model on a large dataset before fine-tuning it for a specific task. Crucial for building robust AI models that perform well on various tasks.
Numeronym for the word "Virtualization" (V + 12 letters + N), creating virtual versions of physical resources, such as servers, storage devices, or networks, to improve efficiency and scalability. Crucial for optimizing resource use and improving scalability.
Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) is a type of AI model that uses deep learning to generate human-like text based on given input. This technology is essential for automating content creation and enhancing interactive experiences.
The ability of a system, product, or process to handle increased loads or expand without compromising performance or efficiency. Essential for ensuring that products and systems can grow and adapt to increasing demands.
A theory in environmental psychology that suggests people prefer environments where they can see (prospect) without being seen (refuge). Useful for understanding environmental design and creating spaces that feel safe and inviting.
The tendency for the first items presented in a sequence to be remembered better than those in the middle. Crucial for designing information presentation and improving memory retention.
The value or satisfaction derived from a decision, influencing the choices people make. Crucial for understanding user preferences and designing experiences that maximize satisfaction.
A cognitive bias where people overemphasize information that is placed prominently or in a way that catches their attention first. Crucial for designing interfaces and information displays that manage user attention effectively.
Numeronym for the term "10,000 Concurrent Clients", the challenge of optimizing network software to handle ten thousand simultaneous client connections. Important for ensuring scalability and performance in high-demand scenarios.
A reading pattern where users quickly scan for specific markers or keywords within the content. Important for optimizing content for quick search and retrieval.
A high-level description of a system's structure and interactions, focusing on its market-facing aspects rather than technical details. Useful for communicating the value and structure of a digital product to non-technical stakeholders and aligning with market needs.
Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) is a discipline that incorporates aspects of software engineering and applies them to infrastructure and operations problems to create scalable and highly reliable software systems. Crucial for maintaining the reliability and efficiency of complex software systems.
A mathematical ratio, approximately 1.618:1, often used in design and art to create aesthetically pleasing compositions. Important for designing visually balanced and appealing layouts, leveraging natural aesthetics to enhance user experience.
The ease with which users can find new features or content within a product. Essential for enhancing user engagement and product usability.
A collection of reusable components, guided by clear standards, that can be assembled to build any number of applications, ensuring consistency and efficiency. Crucial for maintaining design consistency and efficiency across products.
Fundamental guidelines that inform and shape the design process, ensuring consistency, usability, and effectiveness in product creation. Essential for creating coherent, user-centered designs that align with organizational goals and user needs.
A set of fundamental principles and guidelines that inform and shape design practices. Crucial for maintaining design consistency and ensuring high-quality outcomes.
The hardware and software environment used to deploy and manage applications and services. Essential for ensuring reliable and scalable application deployment.