UI/UX Glossary from A to Z
97 UI/UX and Product Design terms explained in plain English: UX tools, concepts, product criteria and the roles in a Product team.
Product criteria 7
DesirabilityHow much users truly want to use the product, one of the three pillars of a sustainable product.FeasibilityWhether a solution can actually be built within the current technical, time and resource constraints.LearnabilityHow easily a new user can complete basic tasks the first time they use the product.MVPThe smallest version of a product that is good enough to launch and collect real user feedback as early as possible.North Star MetricMột chỉ số duy nhất đo lường giá trị cốt lõi sản phẩm mang lại cho người dùng, dùng để định hướng chiến lược và align…UsabilityHow effectively, efficiently and satisfyingly users can use a product in a real context.ViabilityWhether the product creates lasting value for the business: revenue, cost and long-term competitive position.
UX tools 30
A/B TestingAn experiment that compares two design versions to measure which one performs better with real users.AI UX PatternCommon interface patterns for bringing AI features into a product.Atomic designPhương pháp xây dựng UI theo 5 cấp độ từ nhỏ đến lớn - atoms, molecules, organisms, templates, pages.Cognitive WalkthroughAn expert UX review method that checks whether new users can figure out how to use the product on their own.Customer Journey MapA diagram of the whole journey a customer goes through when interacting with a product or service.Design SystemA shared library of components, tokens and guidelines that keeps design and code consistent.Design ThinkingA human-centered way of solving problems in 5 stages, from empathize to test.Double DiamondA 4-stage design process model: first find the right problem, then find the right solution.Empathy MapA tool that sums up user insights in 4 dimensions: says, thinks, does and feels.Fishbone DiagramA root-cause analysis tool that lays out the causes of a problem in the shape of a fish skeleton.Fitt's lawNguyên lý tâm lý học: thời gian di chuyển đến mục tiêu phụ thuộc khoảng cách và kích thước mục tiêu đó.Grid SystemA system of grids that keeps interface elements consistent, balanced and easy to make responsive.Heuristic EvaluationAn expert UX review method based on Jakob Nielsen's 10 usability heuristics.Information Architecture (IA)How information in a product is organized, labeled and structured so users can find what they need and know where they…Jobs-to-be-doneA framework for understanding users through the "job" they need to get done, not their demographics or the features…Lean UXThe design mindset prioritizes streamlining documentation and maximizing learning, focusing on rapid feedback rather…Mental ModelThe picture in a user's head of how a system works: not how it really works, but how they think it works.MockupA static design that looks close to the real product, used to review visuals before prototyping.OOUXTư duy thiết kế hướng đối tượng là một phương pháp luận thiết kế nhằm làm cho cấu trúc thông tin sản phẩm trở nên trực…Open-source Design SystemDesign systems published openly by communities and large organizations, to learn from or use directly.PortfolioA designer's body of work: a set of case studies that show how they think and how they design.Problem StatementA short statement that defines the right user problem to solve and anchors the whole design.PrototypeAn interactive simulation of the product used to test ideas before development.PUREGoogle's expert UX review method that scores each step of a task on 3 dimensions.SitemapA diagram of how a website or app is structured, showing the hierarchy between pages.Usability TestingWatching real users do tasks to find problems that expert reviews miss.User FlowA diagram of the steps a user takes to complete a specific task in the product.User PersonaA profile of a representative user built from research data, used to guide design decisions.UX FlowCommon UX flows such as onboarding, checkout and empty states, and how to design each one.UX PatternA proven design solution for interface problems that come up again and again.
Concepts 8
AccessibilityDesigning so that everyone, including people with disabilities, can use the product.AgileA product development process built on short, flexible iterations that values fast feedback over a fixed plan.DesignWhat design really means: beyond aesthetics, solving problems with intent.UX DesignUser experience design: whole-picture problem solving, not just designing screens.UX ResearchStudying users to understand their behavior, needs and problems, the foundation of every design decision.WaterfallA linear development process with fixed stages, the opposite of Agile when it comes to flexibility.Website LayoutHow the elements on a web page are organized and arranged to guide the user's attention.WireframeA skeleton sketch of an interface that focuses on structure and layout, without color or detailed visuals.
Roles 52
Design
Design DirectorResponsible for the design quality of the whole agency. Every design has to pass the Design Director before it goes to…Design ManagerDirectly manages designers: quality reviews, 1-on-1s, career growth.Design System DesignerA role dedicated to building and maintaining the Design System: the component library, tokens and guidelines for the…Graphic DesignerA designer who works on brand identity, banners, illustrations and marketing materials.Article coming soonHead of DesignLeads the whole Design chapter: hiring, design quality and career paths for designers.Motion DesignerA designer who creates motion and animation in digital products, from micro-interactions to transitions.Product DesignerAn end-to-end design role, from research and UX to UI, tied closely to product goals.UI DesignerFocuses on the interface: layout, colour, type and components.Article coming soonUI/UX DesignerA design role focused on the interface and the user experience, combining UX thinking with UI skills.UX Design EngineerA role that combines UX thinking, design skills and engineering ability to ship high-quality experiences end to end.UX DesignerFocuses on the experience: flows, information architecture and interaction.UX ResearcherPlans and runs user research.Article coming soonUX Writer & Content DesignerWrites the words in the interface: buttons, messages, instructions, error states.
Product
Chief Product OfficerOwns product strategy and manages the team of Product Managers.Article coming soonData Product ManagerA PM for internal data products such as dashboards and tracking systems.Article coming soonGrowth Product ManagerA PM focused on growth metrics: activation, retention, referral.Article coming soonProduct ManagerOwns the direction and outcomes of the product: what to build, why, and in what order.Product OwnerThe Scrum role that manages the product backlog and sets priorities for each sprint, bridging business and the team.
Engineering
Backend DeveloperThe developer who builds server-side logic, data and APIs, the engine that runs every product.Chief Technology OfficerOwns technology, system architecture and the engineering team.Article coming soonDevOps / Platform Eng.The engineer who builds infrastructure and deploy pipelines and keeps the system stable and scalable.Article coming soonFrontend DeveloperThe developer who builds the user interface, turning Figma files into a real product that runs in the browser.Full-stack DeveloperA developer who works on both frontend and backend, flexible and a good fit for small teams that need speed.Head of EngineeringManages the Engineering Managers, the QA Lead and overall engineering quality.Article coming soonMobile DeveloperA developer building iOS and Android apps.Article coming soonQA EngineerA test engineer who makes sure the product works correctly before release.Article coming soonSoftware ArchitectThe person who designs the overall system architecture and decides how its parts are organized and talk to each other…Article coming soonTech LeadThe engineer who leads technical work in the squad and owns the solution and code quality.Article coming soon
Business
Account ManagerManages relationships and contracts with large customers.Article coming soonBrand ManagerProtects the brand's image and voice.Article coming soonBusiness AnalystThe person who analyzes business requirements and turns them into specifications for the design and engineering teams.Chief Executive OfficerThe person ultimately responsible for the company's vision and business results.Article coming soonClientThe customer who hires the agency to build their product. They pay, set the goals and have the final say, but they are…Article coming soonContent MarketerWrites content for the blog, social media and email.Article coming soonCRM ManagerManages email, notifications and customer retention programmes.Article coming soonCustomer Success ManagerHelps customers succeed with the product and renew.Article coming soonCustomer SupportAnswers customer questions and handles their problems.Article coming soonGrowth ManagerDrives user growth across many marketing channels.Article coming soonPerformance Marketing ManagerRuns paid ads and optimises the cost per user.Article coming soonSales / Business DeveloperFinds clients and brings projects into the agency.Article coming soonSEO SpecialistOptimises the website to rank well on Google.Article coming soonStakeholderPeople or groups with an interest in the product, who can affect or be affected by design and development decisions.
Data
Business Intelligence AnalystBuilds dashboards and recurring reports for every department.Article coming soonData AnalystAnalyses data to answer questions about the product and the business.Article coming soonData EngineerBuilds the data pipelines that let other teams use data.Article coming soonData ScientistBuilds prediction and recommendation models from data.Article coming soonHead of DataLeads the Data & Analytics team and standardises how the company measures things.Article coming soon
Other roles
FreelancerWorking independently on contract projects: how it works, finding clients and pricing your services.InternA realistic look at the UI/UX intern role: expectations, how to prepare and how to make the most of your internship.