All posts tagged ‘UI/UX’

File Under: Glossary

Image Maps

Image maps are images that have several links geographically mapped onto it.

For example, an image map of a photograph of the Beatles might enable you to click on Ringo and receive a page describing his drumming abilities. Click on George, and receive a file about how Eric Clapton stole Patti Boyd. One thing to remember about image maps is that they are a purely visual form of navigation, so if your visitor isn’t loading the images, they’ll never know where to click. For this reason, you should always include text links under the images as an alternative way to navigate.

File Under: Glossary


A web page is interactive when it prompts a response from the user.

Immediacy is the key to interactivity: If you click on a button that says “chat,” then that experience would be considered “more interactive” if you are immediately able to chat with someone online. The experience would be “less interactive” if the response was an email address for a mailing list on which you are allowed to discuss a particular issue. Interactive is really just another code word for describing how graphical elements in web pages work together with the software behind them.

File Under: Glossary


An Interstitial is a web advertisement that appears on its own page, typically in between “content” pages. Interstitials are typically not clickable (or are linked to the page you’d originally hoped to reach), but are usually buffered by a similar, smaller advertisement on the subsequent content page that allows you to investigate the advertiser’s product. By mid-1997, interstitials were at the top of every advertiser’s want list, but have lost popularity since then.

File Under: Glossary


Intuitive interactions with a web page are extremely important to understand. When a user makes decisions about how to navigate through a site, those decisions are influenced by information from the real world. So this information must be taken into account when designing the navigation. Don’t confuse “intuitive” with “instinctive.” When used as a web design term, intuitive means it’s understood that most users will make the same decisions when confronted with a particular design element. Instinctive means that if any more smoke comes out of their computer they will decide to run away.

File Under: Glossary


The more modern definition of kiosk refers to public terminals that offer anything from internet access to travel information to ATM services. Electronic kiosks require a simple user interface and rugged hardware. Touchscreens enable a user to enter and display information without the need for a mouse or keyboard. Alternative input methods must be considered, however, for those who can’t use touchscreens, such as people with physical disabilities.