Glossary
Speaking the same language
Words we use to define words we use.
Browse by letter
A
Accessibility friction
Content or functionality does not work correctly with the participant's assistive technology, input method, or accessibility settings — or fails to meet basic accessibility requirements. Often forces participants to find workarounds, seek external help, or abandon the task.
Accessibility score
A 0–100 measure of whether participants can perceive, navigate, and access the critical information they need to make a decision or complete a task — independently. Driven primarily by Accessibility friction and the critical-information subset of Comprehension friction.
AI Accessibility Tools
Tools using AI, typically computer vision with natural-language description, to convey visual information audibly or as text. Used mainly by blind or low-vision people to identify objects, read labels, or understand a photo or camera feed.
Alternative / Ergonomic Keyboard
This category covers physical keyboards adapted from the standard layout, including one-handed keyboards, larger or widely spaced keys, and ergonomic split designs. Used by people with limited hand mobility, missing or affected digits, or conditions like arthritis or RSI.
Android Magnification
Android Magnification is Google's built-in screen magnification feature, activated by a gesture or accessibility button to zoom into the full screen or part of it. Used by people with low vision on Android devices; controls vary by manufacturer and OS version.
Apple Dictation
Apple Dictation is macOS/iOS's built-in speech-to-text, usable in any text field with no extra software. Used by people with motor disabilities, dyslexia or dysgraphia, and can run entirely on-device for privacy.
Apple Translate
A translation app built into iOS and macOS for text or spoken conversation, with no third-party install needed. Popular with Apple users for quick, no-download translation, including offline for supported languages.
ASL
ASL (American Sign Language) is used by the Deaf community in the United States and parts of Canada. A distinct language, unrelated in grammar to English and influenced by French Sign Language. Widely referenced for sign language avatars and interpretation.
Audio Description
Audio description is delivered as a separate, selectable audio track alongside programme sound, pre-recorded for film and TV or occasionally live for theatre. Availability and quality vary between providers and content libraries.
Audio Descriptions
Audio description is narration describing key visual information in video, such as actions, settings and on-screen text, fitted into pauses in dialogue. Relied on mainly by people who are blind or have low vision.
Auslan
Auslan (Australian Sign Language) is used by the Deaf community in Australia. It is a distinct language, historically related to British and Irish Sign Language but developed independently. Relevant when testing video interpretation or with Deaf Auslan-using testers.
Autocorrect / Autocomplete
Autocorrect and autocomplete automatically fix typing errors or complete partial words as a person types. Low-effort, always-on support for people with dyslexia, dysgraphia or motor disabilities, and widely used generally.
B
Be My Eyes
An app connecting blind and low-vision users with sighted volunteers or an AI visual assistant for tasks like reading labels or navigating unfamiliar spaces, via live video call or a submitted photo. Offers a choice of human or AI help.
Blocked (Project)
The participant cannot complete the experience at all. Severe friction stops them from achieving the primary project outcome. The task is a dependency to complete the journey. The participant is therefore blocked from completing the task and can't continue the project tasks. Rare, and the most severe friction we record. Our model overrides all of their scores: their accessibility input is 0 at the project level.
Braille
Braille is a tactile writing system of raised dots read by touch, used mainly by people who are blind or have significant vision loss. Not all blind people read it, and it works alongside, not instead of, screen readers.
Braille Notetaker
A braille notetaker is a standalone portable device with a braille keyboard and usually a refreshable display, letting users write, edit and read documents without a separate computer. Popular with blind students and professionals.
Braille Screen Input
Braille Screen Input is an iOS VoiceOver feature letting users type braille directly on the touchscreen, with no external hardware. Used by fluent braille readers for quick text entry when no braille device is at hand.
Browser Built-in Translation
Automatic webpage translation built into browsers such as Chrome, Edge, and Safari, offered as a prompt when a page's language differs from the browser's setting. Lets testers translate a whole site passively, with no separate app.
BSL
BSL (British Sign Language) is used by the Deaf community across the UK. Recognised as a language in its own right, with grammar and word order independent of English, plus regional variation. Relevant for UK video interpretation and BSL-fluent testers.
Built-in Magnification (unspecified)
This entry covers cases where a tester or participant used their device's built-in magnification feature but the specific tool or operating system was not recorded.
Built-in Spell Check
Built-in spell check is the native spelling/grammar checking in an operating system, browser or word processor, shown as underlines with suggested corrections. A baseline support needing no separate installation.
C
Captioning
Captioning shows the spoken and audible content of video or speech as synchronised on-screen text. It is essential for Deaf and hard of hearing people, and widely used by anyone in noisy or sound-sensitive settings, or processing a second language.
Captions / Subtitles (unspecified)
A general preference for captions or subtitles on video or audio content where the specific platform or tool has not been identified, reflecting reliance on captioning as a category rather than one product.
ChatGPT
Use of ChatGPT specifically to describe an image or visual content, typically by uploading a photo and asking what it shows, rather than general text conversation. Allows follow-up questions about details within the same image.
ChatGPT (for translation)
Use of ChatGPT specifically to translate text or simplify wording into plainer language, not for general conversation. Some testers prefer it because they can ask it to explain idioms or clarify meaning alongside the translation.
ChatGPT (for writing support)
Using ChatGPT specifically to check spelling, grammar or structure in a piece of writing, not general chat. Can support people with dyslexia, dysgraphia or ADHD, and second-language writers wanting a check before sharing.
ChromeVox
ChromeVox is a screen reader that runs within Google Chrome, historically a browser extension and also built into ChromeOS on Chromebooks. Most associated with Chromebook users, particularly in education, and developers doing quick in-browser accessibility checks.
Claude
Use of Claude specifically to describe an image or visual content, typically by uploading a photo and asking what it shows, rather than general text conversation. Follow-up questions about the same image are often the main draw.
Claude (for translation)
Use of Claude specifically to translate text or simplify wording into plainer language, not for general assistance. Testers may value asking follow-up questions, such as requesting a simpler rephrasing or clarifying a term.
Claude (for writing support)
Using Claude specifically to check spelling, grammar or structure in a piece of writing, not general chat. Can support people with dyslexia, dysgraphia or ADHD, and second-language writers wanting a check before sharing.
Co:Writer
Co:Writer is word prediction software for people with learning disabilities, recognising phonetic or non-standard spelling attempts to predict the intended word. Commonly used in education by students with dyslexia or dysgraphia.
Colour and Display Settings
Colour and display settings are accommodations in operating systems, browsers and tools that let people adjust screen colour, contrast, brightness and motion. Used by people with low vision, colour vision deficiency, migraine or vestibular disorders; often overlooked in testing.
Colour Filters
Colour filters are system-level adjustments that remap on-screen colours, with presets for deuteranopia, protanopia and tritanopia. Used by people with colour vision deficiency (colour blindness) to distinguish similar colours. Meaning conveyed by colour alone can still be lost.
Component Blocker
The participant can't interact with a specific element within a task, but completes the task via a workaround. They aren't blocked at the task level. Our model looks at the severity of the friction and modifies the task score downwards based on various factors.
Comprehension friction
Participant cannot understand the meaning of content due to jargon, unclear language, complex terminology, or poorly written text.
Confidence friction
Participant understands the content but feels uncertain about what to do next, whether their action is correct, what will happen if they proceed, or where to find what they need. Includes wayfinding uncertainty and unclear site functionality.
Confidence rating
A 0.0–1.0 score the model assigns to each friction insight, used as a multiplier on its weight. A high-confidence severe friction (0.9) carries substantially more weight than a low-confidence one (0.4). Below the minimum threshold (currently 0.7), a finding is logged but doesn't affect the score.
Content not found
Participant cannot locate information they need to make a decision or complete a task — either because it doesn't exist, is hidden, or is placed somewhere they wouldn't think to look.
Custom Cursor / Pointer Size
Custom cursor or pointer size settings let a user enlarge the on-screen mouse pointer or change its colour, available at system level on most desktop platforms. Used by people with low vision who find the default pointer hard to locate against similarly coloured backgrounds.
Custom Stylesheets (Stylus, etc.)
Custom stylesheet tools, such as the Stylus browser extension, let a user apply their own CSS to override a site's colours, fonts or layout. Used by people with low vision or light sensitivity for persistent, site-specific fixes. Site markup changes can break them.
D
Dark Mode (system)
Dark Mode is a system-level colour scheme that swaps light backgrounds for dark ones, available across major platforms. Used by people with light sensitivity or migraine to avoid bright screens. Apps that hardcode colours can end up illegible once it's enabled.
Dark Reader (browser extension)
Dark Reader is a browser extension that applies a dark theme to any website, generating one algorithmically if a site lacks native dark mode. Used by people with light sensitivity or migraine. Because it overrides existing styles, it can cause poor contrast on complex pages.
Data modality
A distinct stream of evidence about the experience: survey response, transcript analysis, observed behaviour, time-to-complete, participant context. No single modality is enough on its own; the signal comes from triangulating across modalities.
DeepL
An AI-driven translation service known for natural, contextually accurate output for a subset of well-supported European languages. Often preferred for nuanced or lengthy text over quick phrase lookup tools.
DGS
DGS (German Sign Language, Deutsche Gebärdensprache) is used by the Deaf community in Germany. Distinct from spoken German, with its own grammar and regional variation, and officially recognised. Relevant where interpretation is provided on video content.
Dolphin ScreenReader
Dolphin ScreenReader is commercial Windows screen reading software from Dolphin Computer Access, also known for low-vision and magnification products. Used by some blind and low-vision individuals and organisations. Less common in testing than JAWS or NVDA.
Dragon Dictation
Dragon NaturallySpeaking is desktop dictation software for Windows, used in professional and clinical settings for continuous speech recognition and hands-free computer control, often by people with RSI or spinal cord injury.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking
Dragon NaturallySpeaking is a long-established Windows voice control and dictation program, originally by Nuance, now owned by Microsoft. An industry standard in professional and clinical settings, chosen for highly accurate, fully hands-free computer control.
Dyslexia-Friendly Font
A dyslexia-friendly font, such as OpenDyslexic, has distinct letter shapes and wider spacing to reduce letter confusion. Evidence of measurable benefit is mixed, but many people with dyslexia report a genuine subjective preference.
E
Empirical model
A scoring approach grounded in what participants actually experienced, not in a statistically-sampled population study. Sample sizes are smaller; the goal is qualitative depth, not quantitative generalisation. A score of 73 isn't telling you '73% of users will succeed' — it's describing the pattern of experience observed.
Envision AI
An AI visual assistance app that reads text, describes scenes, and recognises objects and faces, available standalone and, distinctively, built into some smart glasses for hands-free use.
Excessive effort
Task requires more steps, clicks, time, or cognitive effort than reasonably expected. The friction isn't about comprehension or uncertainty — it's simply too much work to accomplish something straightforward.
Eye Tracking
Uses a camera, usually below or built into a screen, to follow eye position and move a cursor. Selection is made by dwelling on a target, blinking, or using a switch. Gives people with very limited movement below the neck precise screen control.
F
f.lux / Blue Light Filter
f.lux and similar blue light filters shift a screen's colour temperature towards warmer tones, often on a schedule. Used by people with light sensitivity or migraine as a trigger-avoidance tool. Most platforms now include a built-in version, often called Night Shift.
Filter / Slow / Bounce Keys
These are keyboard timing adjustments preventing unintended keystrokes from tremor or involuntary movement. Slow keys require a held duration, filter keys ignore brief presses, bounce keys ignore rapid repeats. Used by people with tremor, spasticity or reduced fine motor control.
Foot Mouse
A pointing device operated with the feet, typically a pedal or plate controlling cursor movement and clicking via foot pressure or tilt. Used by people with limited or no use of their hands and arms, or who need to rest their hands due to joint pain or repetitive strain injury.
G
Ghotit
Ghotit is a writing assistant built for people with dyslexia and dysgraphia, correcting phonetic spelling and grammar patterns standard spellcheckers miss. Combines word prediction and text-to-speech feedback.
Google Translate
Google's free translation service, available as a website, app, and browser extension. Supports text, voice, camera-based translation, and real-time conversation mode, with broad language coverage.
Google Voice Typing
Google Voice Typing is Android's built-in voice input via Gboard, letting users dictate into any app by tapping a microphone icon. Used by people with motor disabilities, with automatic punctuation and mid-sentence language switching.
Grammarly
Grammarly checks grammar, spelling, punctuation and tone, and suggests rephrasing, via browser extension or app. Widely used by people with dyslexia, dysgraphia or ADHD, and by second-language writers and the general public.
H
Head Tracking
Translates small head movements into cursor movement, using a camera tracking a reflective dot or facial features, or a head-worn sensor. Selection is made by dwelling on an item or pairing with a switch. Suits people with limited or no hand use.
Hearing Loop / Telecoil
A hearing loop, or induction loop, transmits audio wirelessly to a telecoil receiver in hearing aids and cochlear implants, cutting through background noise. Common in UK, Irish and Australian venues such as banks and theatres.
Hearing Support
Hearing support technologies help Deaf and hard of hearing people access audio and spoken communication by transmitting sound more directly or amplifying it. Many are also used by older adults with age-related hearing loss.
High Contrast Mode
High Contrast Mode is a system display theme that increases contrast between foreground and background, often replacing a site's own palette. Used mainly by people with low vision. Interfaces relying on background images or colour alone can lose meaning when it's active.
High severity
Major difficulty requiring substantial effort to overcome. Multiple failed attempts, extended time, or workaround required. Would likely cause abandonment without persistence.
I
Illustration / Icon Mode
Illustration or icon mode presents information through images or symbols instead of text alone, reducing reliance on reading ability. Used by people with intellectual disabilities, dyslexia or low literacy. Icons must stay consistent to avoid confusion.
Invert Colours / Smart Invert
Invert Colours reverses brightness and colour values on screen, turning light backgrounds dark. Used by people with low vision or light sensitivity where native dark mode isn't available. Smart Invert, on some mobile platforms, keeps images in their original colours.
iOS Zoom
iOS Zoom is Apple's built-in magnification feature for iPhone and iPad, enlarging the whole screen or a resizable window via triple-tap or assistive touch. Used by people with low vision on mobile, often combined with other iOS accessibility settings.
ISL
ISL (Irish Sign Language) is used by the Deaf community in Ireland. A distinct language from English and Irish (Gaeilge), influenced by French and British Sign Language, with legal recognition in Ireland. Relevant for Irish audience testing and interpretation.
J
JAWS
JAWS (Job Access With Speech) is a commercial screen reader for Windows, widely used in corporate and government settings, with a large library of application-specific scripts. Widely adopted, though licences are expensive.
JSL
JSL (Japanese Sign Language, Nihon Shuwa) is used by the Deaf community in Japan. Distinct from spoken and written Japanese, with its own grammar, and not mutually intelligible with other sign languages. Relevant when testing services for Japanese audiences.
K
Keyboard Accessibility
Keyboard accessibility means a device can be fully operated by keyboard alone, without a mouse or touchscreen. Essential for people with motor disabilities and screen reader users, every interactive element must be reachable in a logical order with a visible focus indicator.
Keyboard-Only Navigation
Keyboard-only navigation means using Tab, Shift+Tab, arrow keys, Enter and Space to move through and interact with an interface, without touching a mouse. Essential for people with motor disabilities, it is also the primary method for screen reader users and many power users.
L
Large Text / Display Size
Large Text (Display Size) is a system-wide setting that increases text and interface size across all apps, distinct from zooming one page. Used by people with low vision. Fixed-pixel layouts that don't resize with text can clip or overlap content when it's increased.
Libras
Libras (Brazilian Sign Language, Lingua Brasileira de Sinais) is used by the Deaf community in Brazil. Distinct from Portuguese, with its own grammar, and legally recognised as an official language. Relevant for Brazilian audience testing and Deaf testers.
Live Transcribe
Live Transcribe is a Google Android app that converts nearby speech into real-time on-screen text, for face-to-face conversation rather than recorded media. Used mainly by Deaf and hard of hearing people via automatic speech recognition.
Lookout by Google
A Google AI app for Android that identifies and describes text, objects, currency, and surroundings via the camera for blind and low-vision users. Includes task-specific modes, such as reading documents or scanning a room.
Low severity
A minor inconvenience the participant noticed but didn't have to work around. Worth tracking in aggregate to spot patterns, but doesn't meaningfully affect any individual score.
LSF
LSF (French Sign Language, Langue des Signes Française) is used by the Deaf community in France. Distinct from spoken French, with its own grammar; one of the oldest documented sign languages, having influenced ASL. Relevant for French-speaking audiences.
Lunar / LunarPlus
Lunar and LunarPlus are commercial screen magnification apps for macOS from Dolphin, offering enlargement with tracking and colour options beyond macOS Zoom. LunarPlus adds speech output, giving a combined visual and audio option in one tool.
M
macOS Zoom
macOS Zoom is Apple's built-in magnification feature, enlarging the full screen or a movable lens using keyboard shortcuts, trackpad gestures or a scroll wheel. Used by people with low vision and others needing larger text, often combined with contrast settings.
MAGic
MAGic is commercial Windows magnification software from the makers of the JAWS screen reader, used by people with low vision for detailed control over zoom level, colour and cursor enhancements. It can run alone or alongside a separate screen reader for speech support.
Magnification
Magnification refers to software or built-in operating system tools that enlarge on-screen content, so it can be seen more clearly. Used mainly by people with low vision, but also by people with migraine, dyslexia or fatigue, sometimes alongside colour and contrast adjustments.
Medium severity
Noticeable impediment causing delay, hesitation, or confusion. Completion was never in doubt but experience was degraded.
Meeting Captions (Zoom, Teams, etc.)
Built-in live captioning in video call platforms such as Zoom, Teams and Google Meet, generated automatically from speech. Used by Deaf and hard of hearing participants, and by hearing participants facing poor audio or accents.
Microsoft Translator
A Microsoft translation tool integrated into Office, Edge, and Teams, plus a standalone app. Many users encounter it as a built-in feature while reading documents or joining meetings in another language, not as a separate destination.
Mouse Keys
Mouse Keys is an accessibility feature letting the mouse pointer be moved and clicked using the numeric keypad instead of a physical mouse. Used by people who cannot use a standard mouse due to limited hand mobility, built into Windows, macOS and Linux as standard.
Mouth Stick / Head Pointer
A rigid wand, held between the teeth or lips or attached to a headband, used to press keys, tap a touchscreen or point at targets. Gives people without functional use of their hands and arms direct pointing and typing ability, using head and neck control.
N
Narrator
Narrator is the screen reader built into Windows at no extra cost, improved across releases. Often used for initial setup or as a fallback when JAWS or NVDA is unavailable, though some rely on it as their main screen reader. Requires no separate installation.
No Assistive Technology / Prefer Not to Say
A pair of tester profile response options, not a technology, used when describing assistive technology use: either the tester uses none, or has chosen not to disclose it. Both are ordinary, valid responses.
None / Not Applicable
A tester profile option indicating that the person does not use assistive technology. This is a common, unremarkable response, not an omission that needs explaining.
NVDA
NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) is a free, open-source screen reader for Windows from NV Access, developed by two blind Australians. Popular where budget rules out a commercial licence, and often used in accessibility testing as a stand-in for JAWS.
NZSL
NZSL (New Zealand Sign Language) is used by the Deaf community in New Zealand and is an official language there. It shares roots with British and Auslan sign languages but has its own vocabulary. Relevant for testing with Deaf NZ testers or interpreted video.
O
On-Screen Keyboard
An on-screen keyboard is a virtual keyboard operated via mouse, touchscreen, switch device or eye gaze rather than a physical keyboard. Used by people who cannot use a standard keyboard, often paired with switches or eye tracking for more significant motor impairments.
Orca
Orca is a free, open-source screen reader for the GNOME desktop environment on Linux. Used by the smaller community of blind and low-vision Linux users, with development tied to the broader open-source accessibility ecosystem. Supports speech and braille output.
Other AI Accessibility Tool
Any AI-based visual assistance tool used by a tester not individually listed in this category, such as a device-specific or regionally available alternative.
Other Alternative Input Device
Covers any alternative input device or method not fitting the specific types listed above. Used to record accessibility testing carried out with less common or highly individual assistive setups.
Other Braille Device
This category covers braille input or output devices not covered above, including older hardware, specialist embossers or bespoke assistive equipment, capturing braille use the other options do not describe.
Other Captioning / Description
This category covers captioning or description tools that do not fit the options listed above, including standalone transcription software, browser extensions, or unnamed platform features.
Other Colour / Display Setting
A catch-all for a colour or display accommodation that does not fit the categories above, such as a niche platform feature or a less common third-party tool.
Other Keyboard Setting
This entry covers keyboard accessibility settings or tools not separately listed, including less common assistive input configurations.
Other Magnifier
This entry covers magnification tools used during testing that are not covered by any of the specific categories listed above.
Other Reading / Comprehension Tool
This category covers any reading or comprehension support tool not captured by the specific types above, such as bespoke browser extensions or note-taking aids. It lets testers record support outside the standard classifications.
Other Screen Reader
This category covers any screen reader used by a tester that does not fall under the specific named products listed above. It allows the platform to record real-world assistive technology usage accurately even outside the most common tools.
Other Sign Language
This category records a sign language not listed individually above. Hundreds of distinct sign languages exist worldwide, each tied to its own Deaf community and grammar.
Other Speech-to-Text Tool
Covers any speech-to-text or dictation tool used by a participant that is not separately listed above.
Other Translation Tool
Any translation tool used by a tester not individually listed in this category, such as a less common app or a service specific to a particular language community.
Other Voice Control
This entry covers voice control tools not separately listed, including less common, regional or older speech recognition software still in active use.
Other Writing / Spelling Tool
Covers any writing or spelling support tool used by a participant that is not separately listed above.
Otter.ai
Otter.ai is an AI transcription service mainly used to capture meetings, lectures and interviews rather than dictate one's own writing. Relied on by Deaf and hard-of-hearing people for live captioning of conversations.
P
Positive severity
Participant was impressed or delighted by an interaction.
Prefer Not to Say
A tester profile option indicating that the person has chosen not to disclose their assistive technology use. Declining to share this information is a valid, respected choice.
Project-level outcome
The participant's overall goal for the session — the headline outcome the project was designed around (e.g. "open a bank account", "buy a policy"). Distinguished from task-level outcomes, which are the component steps along the way.
Project-level score
The headline accessibility and usability scores for the whole project, surfaced at the top of the client dashboard. If a participant is blocked at a project-level dependency, their project score reflects that — it can drop to zero for that participant.
R
Read&Write (writing features)
Read&Write, by Texthelp, is a toolbar with writing features including word prediction, talking dictionaries and translation. Commonly used in schools and workplaces alongside its reading support tools.
Reading Ruler / Screen Overlay
A reading ruler, or screen overlay, isolates a line or block of text so the eye can track it without drifting. Used by people with dyslexia, it may be a physical strip or software overlay, sometimes with a tinted background.
Reading Support Tools
Reading support tools help people process, decode or comprehend on-screen text. Used mainly by people with dyslexia, ADHD or low literacy, they work by converting text to speech or restructuring it into simpler, more visual forms.
Reduce Motion / Animations
Reduce Motion is a system setting that minimises animations, transitions and parallax across an operating system and its apps. Used by people with vestibular disorders or migraine, for whom motion can trigger dizziness or nausea. Sites should honour prefers-reduced-motion.
Reduce Transparency
Reduce Transparency replaces translucent or blurred interface backgrounds with solid, opaque ones. Used by people with low vision, migraine or visual processing difficulties, for whom translucent layers over moving content reduce legibility or cause discomfort.
Refreshable Braille Display
A refreshable braille display is a hardware device with pins that rise and fall to form braille, updating as content changes on a connected computer or phone. Used by experienced braille readers needing sustained, precise reading.
S
SASL
SASL (South African Sign Language) is used by the Deaf community across South Africa. Distinct from the country's spoken and written languages, with its own grammar, and used nationally despite many official spoken languages. Formally recognised in South Africa.
Score band
One of four customer-facing labels that translate a 0–100 score into a band of experience quality: Ouch (0–40), Meh (41–60), Nice (61–80), Awesome (81–100). The band a project lands in caps the language we use to describe the experience.
Screen Readers
Screen readers convert on-screen text and interface elements into speech or braille output. Used mainly by people who are blind or have low vision. Many navigate by heading or link rather than reading linearly, much like a sighted person scanning a page.
Seeing AI
A free Microsoft app for iOS that uses AI to describe people, text, products, currency, and surroundings aloud via the camera. Commonly used for reading mail, identifying packaged goods, or getting a short scene description.
Sign Language
Sign languages are visual-manual languages using handshape, movement and expression, not sound. Each is a distinct natural language with its own grammar, not a simplified spoken-language version. Testing may need interpretation, or testers reading English as a second language.
Simplified / Easy Read Content
Simplified or Easy Read content uses short sentences, plain words and images to aid understanding. Widely used by people with intellectual disabilities or low literacy, it is a recognised UK, Irish and Australian format for official information.
Single / Dual Switch
A physical button activated by any repeatable movement (hand, head, elbow, knee, foot). One switch selects items highlighted in turn by scanning software; a second, if used, controls scan speed or direction. Adaptable to almost any movement a person can perform reliably.
Sip-and-Puff
A breath-controlled switch operated by inhaling or exhaling through a mouth-mounted tube. Different breath patterns trigger different commands. Used by people with high-level spinal cord injuries to control switch scanning or computers using breath alone.
Sound Amplification
Sound amplification is a software feature that increases audio volume or clarity beyond a device's standard range. Used by hard of hearing people, including many older adults, it needs no dedicated receiver, working through normal speakers or headphones.
Speech to Text
Speech to text (dictation/voice typing) converts spoken words into written text in real time. Used by people with motor disabilities affecting typing, and by people with dyslexia or dysgraphia who find speaking easier than spelling.
Speech-to-Text (unspecified)
Covers a general preference for dictation or voice typing where the specific tool used is not identified.
Sticky Keys
Sticky Keys is an operating system feature letting keyboard shortcuts needing multiple simultaneous keys, such as Ctrl+Alt+Delete, be entered one key at a time. Used by people who cannot press multiple keys at once due to limited hand strength or dexterity, or one-handed use.
SuperNova Magnifier
SuperNova Magnifier is the magnification-only edition of Dolphin's SuperNova software for Windows, for people with low vision who need screen enlargement but not full screen reader functionality. It offers adjustable magnification and tracking of mouse, focus or cursor.
SuperNova Screen Reader
SuperNova is a commercial Windows product from Dolphin Computer Access combining screen reading with screen magnification in one package. Common among people with low vision needing enlarged, high-contrast visuals alongside speech, rather than speech alone.
Switch Access (Android)
Android's built-in equivalent to Switch Control: external switches scan through on-screen elements, menus and options for selection. Switch count, scan timing and pattern are adjustable. Gives people who cannot use a touchscreen directly full access to apps and system functions.
Switch and Alternative Input
Hardware and software letting someone operate a device without a standard mouse, keyboard or touchscreen. Used mainly by people with limited or no use of their hands and arms, via switch scanning, eye or head tracking. Often the only way they can use a product independently.
Switch Control (iOS)
A built-in iOS/iPadOS feature letting someone operate the whole device using external switches instead of touch. It scans on-screen items or a grid of actions; the user selects when the scan reaches the target. Speed and layout are configurable.
System Access
System Access is a cloud-based Windows screen reader, historically from Serotek, built to run without full local installation and follow users across computers via network delivery. Useful for shared, public or workplace computers. Less widely used than JAWS or NVDA.
T
TalkBack
TalkBack is the screen reader built into Android, providing spoken feedback and gesture navigation on phones and tablets. Behaviour can vary by manufacturer, as some, like Samsung, add their own accessibility layer. Typically the default entry point for Android users.
Talon Voice
Talon is a voice control system popular among developers, valued for precise hands-free coding commands covering punctuation, navigation and editor shortcuts. Often paired with eye tracking or noise recognition, it is widely used by people managing repetitive strain injury.
Task Blocker
The participant is categorically blocked from completing one task, even though they can still use the rest of the experience. Regardless of how they scored that task, our model takes its accessibility score for just that task to 0. Their scores for other tasks are unaffected.
Task-level outcome
A component step toward the project-level outcome (e.g. "complete the date picker", "submit the form"). A participant can achieve the project goal while still being blocked at task level along the way — both states matter to the score.
Task-level score
One accessibility score and one usability score for a specific task or component we test (e.g. login, checkout, form completion). Each task gets its own pair of scores, calculated only from participants who actually attempted that task.
Text-to-Speech Reader
A text-to-speech reader converts on-screen text into spoken audio. Used by people with dyslexia, ADHD or low vision. Unlike screen readers, it reads body text aloud rather than exposing the full interface for blind users.
Trackball Mouse
A pointing device with a ball set into a stationary housing, moved with fingers, thumb or palm to control the cursor while the device stays still. Often used by people with limited hand or wrist strength or restricted range of motion.
Translation Tools
Tools that convert written or spoken content between languages, on demand or automatically. Used by people who speak English as a second language, and by Deaf or hard of hearing testers translating between written and signed or written languages.
U
Unexpected behaviour
Interface responds in a way the participant did not anticipate based on the design, labels, or their prior experience.
Unresponsive interface
Participant takes an action but the interface doesn't respond as expected, responds slowly, or provides no feedback that anything happened.
Usability score
A 0–100 measure of whether participants experienced the product as seamless, intuitive, and efficient. Driven by Confidence, Unresponsive interface, Unexpected behaviour, Content not found, Excessive effort, and the non-critical subset of Comprehension friction. A late-stage survey-sentiment calibration nudges this score; the accessibility score is never modified by sentiment.
V
Voice Access (Android)
Voice Access is Google's built-in voice control feature for Android, letting users navigate, open apps and interact with on-screen items by speaking. It labels tappable elements with numbers or names, useful on touchscreens for people with limited hand or arm mobility.
Voice Access (Windows)
Voice Access is Microsoft's built-in Windows voice control feature, letting users open apps, dictate text and interact with controls by speaking. It uses number or label overlays on clickable items, a no-cost alternative to third-party software for limited hand mobility.
Voice Control
Voice control lets people operate a computer, phone or tablet by speaking instead of typing or using a mouse. It is relied on by people with limited or no use of their hands, such as those with spinal cord injuries, RSI or arthritis, though others use it hands-free by choice.
Voice Control (Apple)
Voice Control is Apple's built-in voice navigation feature for macOS and iOS. It lets users open apps, click on-screen items by name or grid position, and dictate and edit text by voice, with no extra software needed, commonly used by people with limited hand mobility.
Voice Control (unspecified)
This entry covers cases where someone has indicated they use voice control software but the specific tool is not known. It signals reliance on speech-based navigation and text entry rather than a mouse or keyboard.
VoiceOver (iOS)
VoiceOver on iOS/iPadOS is Apple's built-in screen reader, free and controlled by touch gestures rather than a keyboard. SMP's tester data shows it's the most preferred screen reader among blind and low-vision testers.
VoiceOver (Mac)
VoiceOver is the screen reader built into macOS, enabled via accessibility settings rather than installed separately. Free and widely adopted, it is the default choice for blind and low-vision users on Mac desktops and laptops.
W
Windows Magnifier
Windows Magnifier is the magnification tool built into Microsoft Windows at no extra cost. It offers full-screen, lens and docked views with adjustable zoom, commonly used by people with low vision or age-related vision changes wanting a simple, free option.
Windows Voice Typing
Windows Voice Typing is Microsoft's built-in dictation feature, activated by a shortcut in any text field. Used by people with motor disabilities, dyslexia or dysgraphia, with no separate installation needed.
Word Prediction
Word prediction software suggests or completes likely next words as a person types, from a short selectable list. Used by people with motor disabilities and by people with dyslexia or dysgraphia who recognise words more easily than recalling spelling.
Writing Support Tools
Writing support tools help with spelling, grammar, word choice and clarity while composing text. Used extensively by people with dyslexia, dysgraphia or ADHD, but also very widely by writers, students and professionals of all kinds.
X
Z
ZoomText
ZoomText is commercial screen magnification software for Windows, used by people with low vision who need substantial enlargement with fine control over magnification level and view layout, such as split or overlay views. It has optional speech features.
ZoomText Fusion
ZoomText Fusion combines ZoomText's magnification engine with the JAWS screen reader in one Windows package, for people who need both substantial visual magnification and full speech access, switching fluidly between enlarged visuals and synthesised speech.