UX glossary

Explore key UX terms with clear definitions, practical context, and direct connections to the guides where each concept comes to life.

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Design system

Learn what design systems are in UX and how a shared library of components, guidelines, and standards helps teams build consistent, accessible products at scale.

Design token

Learn what design tokens are and how storing design decisions as named variables instead of hardcoded values makes design systems easier to maintain and update consistently.

Diary study

Learn what diary studies are in UX research and how asking users to self-report their experiences over days or weeks reveals behavior in natural contexts that lab testing cannot capture.

Disabled state

Learn what disabled states are in UX design and why simply greying out a control without explaining why it is unavailable is one of the most common and frustrating UX mistakes.

Discovery phase

Learn what the discovery phase is in UX design and how investing in research and exploration before designing reduces the risk of building the wrong thing.

Divider

Learn what dividers are in UX design and when a thin line between sections is necessary versus when white space alone creates sufficient visual separation.

Doherty threshold

Learn what the Doherty threshold means in UX design and how keeping system response times under 400ms maintains user focus and reduces the frustration of waiting.

Double diamond

Learn what the double diamond design process is and how its four phases of divergent and convergent thinking structure UX work from problem exploration to solution delivery.

Draft state

Learn what draft states are in UX design and how clearly communicating that content is work-in-progress prevents accidental publication and supports confident creative work.

Drawer

Learn what drawers are in UX design and when sliding navigation or content panels from the side of the screen serve users better than other overlay patterns.

Dropdown

Learn what dropdowns are in UX design, when they help users choose efficiently, and when they hide options users need to see to make a good decision.

Efficiency

Learn what efficiency means in UX design and how designing for experienced users to complete tasks quickly balances with the need to keep interfaces learnable for newcomers.

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