Systems Theory
An interdisciplinary study of systems, examining the complex interactions and relationships between components within a whole. Crucial for understanding and designing complex, interconnected systems.
An interdisciplinary study of systems, examining the complex interactions and relationships between components within a whole. Crucial for understanding and designing complex, interconnected systems.
A holistic approach to analysis that focuses on the way that a system's constituent parts interrelate and how systems work over time and within the context of larger systems. Essential for solving complex problems and designing systems that account for interdependencies and dynamics.
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.
The study of complex systems and how interactions within these systems give rise to collective behaviors. Useful for understanding and managing the complexity in design processes and systems.
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.
The study of dynamic systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions, leading to unpredictable behavior. Important for recognizing and managing unpredictable elements in design and development processes.
An inference method used in AI and expert systems where reasoning starts from the goal and works backward to determine the necessary conditions. Important for developing intelligent systems that can solve complex problems by working from desired outcomes.
Numeronym for the word "Observability" (O + 11 letters + N), the ability to observe the internal states of a system based on its external outputs, facilitating troubleshooting and performance optimization. Crucial for monitoring and understanding system performance and behavior.
Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) is a discipline that incorporates aspects of software engineering and applies them to infrastructure and operations problems to create scalable and highly reliable software systems. Crucial for maintaining the reliability and efficiency of complex software systems.
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.
A design principle that ensures a system continues to function at a reduced level rather than completely failing when some part of it goes wrong. Crucial for enhancing system reliability and user experience in adverse conditions.
An inference method used in AI and expert systems where reasoning starts from known facts and applies rules to derive new facts. Important for developing intelligent systems that can build knowledge and solve problems incrementally in digital products.
The process of combining different systems or components in a way that ensures they work together smoothly and efficiently without disruptions. Essential for providing a cohesive user experience and ensuring the reliability of complex systems.
A detailed description of a system's behavior as it responds to a request from one of its stakeholders, often used to capture functional requirements. Essential for understanding and documenting how users will interact with a system to achieve their goals.
The process of determining which tasks should be performed by humans and which by machines in a system. Essential for optimizing system efficiency and usability.
Features or elements added to enhance the functionality or user experience of a system. Crucial for improving user engagement and satisfaction by adding valuable enhancements.
A design pattern that combines human and machine intelligence to enhance decision-making and problem-solving. Important for leveraging AI to support and amplify human capabilities.
Software that acts as an intermediary between different systems or applications, enabling them to communicate and function together. Crucial for integrating various components and ensuring seamless interaction within digital products.
Modifications or additions to a system that encourage specific user behaviors. Important for guiding user actions and improving the effectiveness of interactions.
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.
AI systems that can dynamically adjust their behavior based on new data or changes in the environment. Important for developing systems that can respond to real-time changes and improve over time.
Numeronym for the word "Documentation" (D + 11 letters + N), creating detailed records and instructions to support the development, use, and maintenance of systems or products. Crucial for ensuring users and developers understand and properly use the system or product.
The ability of a system, product, or process to handle increased loads or expand without compromising performance or efficiency. Essential for ensuring that products and systems can grow and adapt to increasing demands.
Numeronym for the word "Interoperability" (I + 14 letters + Y), the ability of different systems, devices, or applications to work together and exchange information effectively without compatibility issues. Crucial for ensuring compatibility and integration between systems.
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.
A risk management model that illustrates how multiple layers of defense (like slices of Swiss cheese) can prevent failures, despite each layer having its own weaknesses. Crucial for understanding and mitigating risks in complex systems.
The ability of a system to maintain its state and data across sessions, ensuring continuity and consistency in user experience. Crucial for designing reliable and user-friendly systems that retain data and settings across interactions.
A search system that allows users to narrow down search results by applying multiple filters based on different attributes or categories. Essential for improving user search experience and efficiency.
Elements of a service or product that are not visible to the user but are essential for delivering the front-stage experience. Crucial for understanding and designing the full user experience, including behind-the-scenes elements.
A collection of reusable components, guided by clear standards, that can be assembled to build any number of applications, ensuring consistency and efficiency. Crucial for maintaining design consistency and efficiency across products.
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.
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.
A high-level description of a system's structure and interactions, focusing on its market-facing aspects rather than technical details. Useful for communicating the value and structure of a digital product to non-technical stakeholders and aligning with market needs.
The process of integrating knowledge into computer systems to solve complex problems, often used in AI development. Important for developing intelligent systems that can perform complex tasks and support decision-making in digital products.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) are integrated software systems that manage business processes across various departments, such as finance, HR, and supply chain. Essential for improving operational efficiency and providing a unified view of business operations.
A methodology for creating design systems by breaking down interfaces into their basic components (atoms, molecules, organisms, templates, and pages). Essential for creating scalable and maintainable design systems.
A system of design variables used to maintain consistency in a design system, such as colors, fonts, and spacing. Crucial for ensuring uniformity and scalability in design across different platforms and products.
A principle stating that productivity increases when the computer and its user interact at a pace that ensures neither has to wait on the other. Important for designing responsive systems that enhance user productivity.
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.
Human in the Loop (HITL) integrates human judgment into the decision-making process of AI systems. Crucial for ensuring AI reliability and alignment with human values.
Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) is a standard for representing knowledge organization systems such as thesauri, classification schemes, and taxonomies. Essential for enabling interoperability and sharing of structured knowledge across different systems.
The process of linking language to its real-world context in AI systems, ensuring accurate understanding and interpretation. Crucial for improving the relevance and accuracy of AI-generated responses.
A type of artificial intelligence that enables systems to learn from data and improve over time without being explicitly programmed. Crucial for developing intelligent systems that can make data-driven decisions.
The study of how humans interact with systems and products, focusing on improving usability and performance. Crucial for designing user-friendly systems and products.
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is an automated telephony system that interacts with callers, gathers information, and routes calls to the appropriate recipient. It improves customer service and automates information retrieval.
The process of self-examination and adaptation in AI systems, where models evaluate and improve their own outputs or behaviors based on feedback. Crucial for enhancing the performance and reliability of AI-driven design solutions by fostering continuous learning and improvement.
Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) is the integration of AI with the Internet of Things (IoT) to create smart systems that can learn and adapt. Crucial for developing advanced, intelligent products that offer enhanced user experiences and operational efficiencies.
A strategy where a team plays the role of an adversary to identify vulnerabilities and improve the security and robustness of a system. Crucial for testing the resilience of digital products and identifying areas for improvement.
The use of biological data (e.g., fingerprints, facial recognition) for user authentication and interaction with digital systems. Crucial for enhancing security and user experience through advanced authentication methods.
A recommendation system technique that suggests items similar to those a user has shown interest in, based on item features. Important for providing personalized recommendations and improving user satisfaction.
A theory of motivation that explains behavior as driven by a desire for rewards or incentives. Crucial for designing systems that effectively motivate and engage users.
A system that allows customers to access information and perform tasks on their own without the need for assistance from customer service representatives. Important for improving customer experience and reducing support costs.
Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) is an AI method that solves new problems based on the solutions of similar past problems. This approach is essential for developing intelligent systems that learn from past experiences to improve problem-solving capabilities.
The process of enabling users to take control of their interactions with a product or system, enhancing their confidence and satisfaction. Crucial for designing systems that provide users with the tools and information they need to make informed decisions.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a strategy for managing an organization's relationships and interactions with current and potential customers. Essential for improving business relationships and driving sales growth.
The Principle of Choices is an information architecture guideline that emphasizes providing users with meaningful options to navigate and interact with a system. Crucial for enhancing user experience by ensuring users can easily find what they need without being overwhelmed.
AI systems designed to communicate with users through natural language, enabling human-like interactions. Crucial for developing advanced customer service and user engagement solutions.
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.
The degree to which users feel they have control over their actions and decisions when interacting with a product or system. Crucial for designing systems that empower users and enhance their sense of control and satisfaction.
A team responsible for developing and maintaining the foundational systems and services that support other teams and products. Crucial for ensuring scalability and efficiency across the organization.