Design Maturity
The level of sophistication and integration of design practices within an organization's processes and culture. Essential for assessing and improving the effectiveness of design in driving business value and innovation.
142 topics found for:
“software design”
Generative Design
An iterative design process that uses algorithms and computational tools to generate a wide range of design solutions based on defined constraints and goals. Crucial for exploring innovative and optimized design solutions.
Modularity
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.
Anti-Pattern
A common solution to a recurring problem that is ineffective and counterproductive, often resulting in negative consequences. Important for recognizing and avoiding poor design practices and improving overall design quality.
TDA
Tell, Don't Ask (TDA) is a design principle in software engineering that promotes encapsulation by having objects handle their own data and actions. Essential for maintaining object-oriented integrity and reducing dependencies in the code.
MVC
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.
Application Architecture
The high-level structure of a software application, defining its components and their interactions. Essential for designing robust, scalable, and maintainable digital products.
UI Design
The design of user interfaces for machines and software, such as computers, mobile devices, and other electronic devices, with the focus on maximizing usability and the user experience. Essential for ensuring that digital products are intuitive and easy to use.
Rule of Thirds
A design principle that suggests dividing an image into nine equal parts using two equally spaced horizontal and vertical lines to create more engaging and balanced compositions. Important for creating visually appealing designs and improving aesthetic quality in visual compositions.
3-Tiered Architecture
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.
POLA
Principle of Least Astonishment (POLA) is a design guideline stating that interfaces should behave in a way that users expect to avoid confusion. Crucial for enhancing user experience and reducing the learning curve in digital products.
Flexibility-Usability Tradeoff
A principle stating that as the flexibility of a system increases, its usability often decreases, and vice versa. Crucial for balancing versatility and ease of use in design.
Object-Oriented Design
A programming paradigm that uses objects and classes to structure software design, promoting reusability and scalability. Crucial for developing maintainable and scalable software systems.
Repeated Measures Design
A research design where the same participants are used in all conditions of an experiment, allowing for the comparison of different conditions within the same group. Essential for reducing variability and improving the reliability of experimental results.
JAD
Joint Application Development (JAD) is a collaborative approach to gathering requirements and designing solutions in software development projects. It facilitates rapid decision-making and consensus-building by bringing together key stakeholders, including users, developers, and project managers, in structured workshop sessions.
Forced Action
A dark pattern where the user is required to do something in order to access certain functionality or information. Designers must avoid compulsory actions and provide optional choices to respect user autonomy.
GQM
Goal-Question-Metrics (GQM) is a framework for defining and interpreting software metrics by identifying goals, formulating questions to determine if the goals are met, and applying metrics to answer those questions. This framework is essential for measuring and improving software quality and performance.
Product Architecture
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.
Nielsen’s Heuristics
A set of ten general principles for user interface design created by Jakob Nielsen to improve usability. Essential for evaluating and improving user interface designs.
SDLC
Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a process for planning, creating, testing, and deploying an information system. Essential for managing the complexities of software development and ensuring project success.
a11y
Numeronym for the word "Accessibility" (A + 11 letters + Y), designing for ease of use by all people, ensuring equal access to those with disabilities. Crucial for ensuring inclusivity and compliance with accessibility standards.
m12n
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.
Continuous Reinforcement
A schedule of reinforcement where a desired behavior is reinforced every time it occurs, promoting quick learning and behavior maintenance. Important for designing systems that encourage consistent user behavior.
ASD
Adaptive Software Development (ASD) is a software development methodology that focuses on continuous adaptation to changing requirements and environments. Essential for managing changing requirements and ensuring agile project delivery.
Ergonomics
The study of how people interact with their environment and products, aiming to improve comfort, efficiency, and safety. Crucial for designing user-friendly and safe products and workspaces.
Error Handling
The process of anticipating, detecting, and resolving errors in software or systems to ensure smooth operation. Important for creating reliable and user-friendly software applications.
Rapid Prototyping
The process of quickly creating a preliminary version of a product to test and validate ideas before full-scale development. Important for validating design concepts and gathering user feedback early.
Fibonacci Sequence
A series of numbers where each number is the sum of the two preceding ones, creating a pattern found in nature and various fields. Useful for understanding natural growth patterns, efficient estimation techniques, and its relationship to the aesthetically pleasing Golden Ratio.
Learning Theory
The study of how people acquire knowledge, skills, and behaviors through experience, practice, and instruction. Useful for creating educational content and interactive tutorials that enhance user learning.
HCI
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is the study of designing interfaces and interactions between humans and computers. It ensures that digital products are user-friendly, efficient, and satisfying.
BDD
Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) is a software development approach where applications are specified and designed by describing their behavior. Important for ensuring clear communication and shared understanding between developers and stakeholders.
12-Factor App
A methodology for building software-as-a-service apps that emphasizes best practices for development, deployment, and scalability. Important for creating scalable, maintainable, and efficient digital products.
Feature Bloat
The excessive addition of features in a product, often leading to complexity and reduced usability. Crucial for maintaining simplicity and usability in product design.
Modular Design
A design approach that divides a system into smaller parts or modules that can be independently created, modified, replaced, or exchanged. Crucial for creating flexible, scalable, and maintainable systems.
Algorithm Design
The process of defining and creating algorithms to solve problems and perform tasks efficiently. Fundamental for software development and creating efficient solutions.
Lean Software Development
An agile methodology focused on delivering value to the customer through principles such as eliminating waste, amplifying learning, and delivering as fast as possible. Crucial for improving efficiency and effectiveness in software development processes.
DDD
Domain-Driven Design (DDD) is an approach to software development that focuses on modeling the business domain and its logic. Essential for aligning software development with business needs and creating maintainable systems.
Focal Points
Elements in a design that draw the viewer's attention and create a visual hierarchy. Essential for guiding user attention and improving the effectiveness of visual communication.
SRS
Software Requirements Specification (SRS) is a detailed document that outlines the functional and non-functional requirements of a software system. Crucial for ensuring clear communication and understanding between stakeholders and the development team.
MBSE
Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is a methodology that uses visual modeling to support system requirements, design, analysis, and validation activities throughout the development lifecycle. Essential for managing complex systems, improving communication among stakeholders, and enhancing the overall quality and efficiency of systems engineering processes.
White Box Testing
A testing method that examines the internal structure, design, and coding of a software application to verify its functionality. Essential for ensuring the correctness and efficiency of the code in digital product development.
Postel’s Law
A principle stating that a system should be liberal in what it accepts and conservative in what it sends, meaning it should handle user input flexibly while providing clear, consistent output, similar to the principle of fault tolerance. Essential for designing robust and user-friendly interfaces that accommodate a wide range of user inputs and behaviors while maintaining reliability and clarity in responses.
Shift-Left Testing
A practice of performing testing activities earlier in the software development lifecycle to identify and address issues sooner. Essential for improving software quality, reducing defects, and accelerating development cycles in digital product design.
Accot-Zhai Steering Law
A model predicting the speed-accuracy trade-off in pointing tasks when using devices like a mouse, important for user interface design. Useful for designing user interfaces that are efficient and easy to navigate.
Hotfix
A quick and often temporary fix applied to a software product to address an urgent issue without going through the full development cycle. Essential for maintaining the stability and functionality of digital products in the face of critical issues.
Accessibility
The design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities or specific needs. Crucial for creating inclusive products that can be used by everyone, including those with disabilities.
Lower Environment
A non-production environment used for development and testing before deployment to production. Important for ensuring that changes are thoroughly tested before going live.
Assistive Technology
Hardware and software designed to assist people with disabilities in using computers and digital content. Essential for understanding and designing for a diverse range of user needs.
Smoke Testing
A preliminary testing method to check whether the most crucial functions of a software application work, without going into finer details. Important for identifying major issues early in the development process and ensuring the stability of digital products.
DRY Principle
Don't Repeat Yourself (DRY) is a software development principle for reducing repetition and redundancy. Essential for creating efficient, maintainable, and scalable code in digital product design.
API
Application Programming Interface (API) is a set of tools and protocols that allow different software applications to communicate and interact with each other. Essential for integrating different systems and enabling functionality in digital products.
ERD
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.
Infographic
A visual representation of information or data designed to make complex information easily understandable at a glance. Important for communicating insights and data effectively to stakeholders and users in digital product design.
TDD
Test-Driven Development (TDD) is a software development methodology where tests are written before the code that needs to pass them. Essential for ensuring high code quality and reducing bugs.
Benchmark Testing
The process of comparing design metrics to historical performance, competitive standards, or industry best practices to identify areas for improvement. Crucial for measuring progress, improving practice maturity, and evaluating competitive differentiation.
Hackathon
An event where developers, designers, and other stakeholders collaborate intensively on software projects, typically within a short timeframe. Important for fostering innovation, team collaboration, and rapid prototyping of new ideas in digital product development.
Git
A distributed version control system for tracking changes in source code during software development. Essential for collaborative development and managing codebase evolution in digital product design.
Lag Effect
A phenomenon where learning is improved when study sessions are spaced out over time rather than crammed together. Crucial for designing educational and training programs that enhance long-term retention.
MVF
Minimum Viable Feature (MVF) is the smallest possible version of a feature that delivers value to users and allows for meaningful feedback collection. Crucial for rapid iteration in product development, enabling teams to validate ideas quickly and efficiently while minimizing resource investment.
Soak Testing
A performance testing method that evaluates the system's behavior and stability over an extended period under a high load. Essential for identifying memory leaks and ensuring the reliability and performance of digital products under prolonged use.