The 19 words listed below continues our aim to demystify terminology and concepts used in the design industry, to empower people with knowledge.
Here's a link to A Guide to Design Terminology : Part 1 if you want to start from A.
Ethnography
is a branch of anthropology and refers to research methodology that involves studying and understanding people’s behaviors and attitudes, with the intention to uncover deep insights into how individuals interact with products, services, and environments within their natural environments. Designers use ethnography to gain a deep understanding of needs, preferences, and pain points, which informs the design process and helps create solutions.
Exploded View
is a graphical representation used in technical drawings, illustrations, or diagrams to showcase the individual components of a complex object or system. Exploded views are often accompanied by annotations or labels to identify each component and its placement within the assembly.
Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
is a computational technique to simulate and analyze behavior of structures and mechanical systems under various conditions. For example, FEA on a chair would focus on the structural integrity. A 3D model would accurately represent the dimensions, geometry, and material properties of the chair and boundary conditions that simulate real-world scenarios, such as a person sitting or leaning back would be applied. The FEA will communicate how much weight the chair can take, which part(s) of the chair will take the stress and how much, to help identify potential failure points. This analysis may result in designers and engineers to make modifications as needed on material thicknesses, adding reinforcement to critical areas, or making changes to the geometry of the chair to ensure stability and improve performance. Common types of FEA include stress, heat transfer (thermodynamics), vibration, deformation, and fluid flow analysis (fluid mechanics).
Form
refers to the overall shape, structure, or appearance of an object. It encompasses various elements such as lines, curves, surfaces, volumes, proportions, and textures, which collectively contributes to the perception and interpretation of the object’s form.
Hex Code
is short for hexadecimal code, a numerical representation used in digital design and computing to specify colors. It consists of a six-character alphanumeric code that represents the intensity of RGB (red, green, and blue). Hex Code format is commonly used in web design, graphic design, and HTML/CSS coding to ensure consistent color reproduction across different devices and platforms.
Jig
is a custom tool or device used in manufacturing to assist in the production of repetitive tasks or the creation of consistent, accurate work, that helps minimize errors and variability in products. Jigs are typically designed to hold and guide tools, workpieces, or components in a precise position and orientation, enabling workers to perform tasks more efficiently and with greater consistency during machining, drilling, cutting, or assembly processes.
Market Segmentation
is the process of dividing a target market into distinct groups who share similar characterics, needs, or behaviors, to better cater to preferences and demands of different customer segments. Segmentation can be done through various methods, including but not limited to geographic, demographic (age, gender, income, education), psychographic (lifestyle, values, attitudes), and behavioral (purchase habits, usage patterns). Segment size, growth potential, competition, and how a segment aligns with business objectives are typically analyzed after Market Segmentation to make decisions on where to allocate resources, minimize waste, and optimize marketing efforts for maximum impact. Market Segmentation helps develop messaging, campaigns, products, and services that resonate with the target audience.
MVP
A Minimum Viable Product is the simplest, yet functional version of a product that can be a powerful tool for startups, entrepreneurs, and inventors to validate ideas, minimize risk, and maximize learning in the early stages of product development.
Organic
in the design industry refers to shapes, forms, or elements that are inspired by or resemble natural objects, organisms, or processes found in nature. It often incorporates fluid, soft, irregular, and asymmetrical shapes, as opposed to geometric or angular forms. Typically, organic forms create a sense of comfort, evoking the softness and warmth of natural environments that appeals to our innate connection to the natural world. It can also be visually intriguing and evocative. Organic materials may refer to natural materials such as wood, stone, bamboo, or leather, which has a tactile appeal and often adds a sense of authenticity to a design.
Pantone
is a standardized color matching system widely used in various industries to ensure consistent and accurate color reproduction across different materials, substrates, and printing methods. The Pantone Matching System (PMS) consists of a set of proprietary color swatches or guides, each assigned a unique alphanumeric identification number, known as a PMS number. By standardizing color specifications and providing a reliable reference system, Pantone helps streamline the design and production process, minimize color discrepancies, and ensure high-quality color output.
Rib
typically refers to a structural element added to a part to provide reinforcement, support, or stiffness. For example, ribs may be added in areas prone to bending, flexing, or deforming under a load to distribute the stress of the load more evenly throughout a part or structure to reduce risk. Strategically placed ribs allow designers to achieve desired strength and stiffness properties using less material, therby reducing material costs and minimizing the overall weight of a product. Rib thickness, height, length, spacing, and orientation must be carefully considered because insufficient ribs may compromise the structural integrity of the design.
Scale
refers to the proportional relationship between the size of an object or design and it’s representation. For example, 1:5 scale means that the model or image is 1/5 the size of the actual object.
Soft Goods
refers to products that are constructed from mostly fabrics or textiles.
Stress
is a measure of how much force is distributed over a given area within the material due to an external load or force applied to it. It is typically expressed in units of force per unit area, such as PSI (pounds per square inch) or Pa (pascals). There are several types of stress, including tensile, compressive, bending, and etc.
Strain
refers to the deformation or change in shape or size experienced by a material in response to stress. It is a measure of how much a material is stretched, compressed, or distorted under the influence of external forces.
Tolerance
refers to the allowable deviation or variation from a specified dimension, value, or performance criteria in a manufactured or assembled part, component, or system. Tolerances are typically specified in engineering drawings using symbols, dimensions, and tolerance values.
Tooling
refers to the tools, molds, dies, or templates used in the manufacturing process to mass-produce physical products, typically made from steel, aluminum, and various alloys chosen for their strength, hardness, wear resistance, and machinability. After tooling is created to precise tolerances and specifications, trial production runs are typically performed to verify accuracy, functionality, surface finishes, and performance.
Whitespace
aka. Negative Space refers to the empty space in a design composition that surrounds visual elements such as text, images, and graphics. Used intentionally, it can improve readability, establish visual balance and organization, and create direction to desired focal points.
Wireframe
in digital products and software development, wireframe refers to a blueprint or skeletal representation of a digital experience that outlines structure, layout, hierarchy, and functionality. Wireframes are typically low-fidelity representations, using simple shapes, outlines, and placeholders to represent interface elements, which allows designers to quickly iterate on concepts prior to going into high-fidelity visuals.
To be continued...
We'll continue to update this list as questions arise. Meanwhile, let us know if there are terms we missed that should be included, or terms that you might be curious to learn more about.
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