--- title: "Glossary" description: "Plain definitions of the design, search, accessibility and business terms UXPro's guides rely on, each with its source." type: glossary terms: 54 reviewed: 2026-10-15 canonical: https://uxpro.ca/glossary publisher: "UXPro Design Studio" license: "Quote freely with a link to the canonical URL." --- # Glossary 54 terms from UX, product and app design, brand, pitch decks, websites, search and AI visibility, accessibility and Ontario regulation, each defined in plain language with the source it was checked against. Descriptions, not legal advice. Newest source check 15 October 2026. Canonical page: https://uxpro.ca/glossary ## A ### Accessibility audit *WCAG-EM* A structured check of a website against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. The W3C's Website Accessibility Conformance Evaluation Methodology (WCAG-EM) provides a structure for that evaluation process, and the W3C publishes a report tool to go with it. An automated scanner finds some problems; an audit with a method says which pages were checked and what was found on each. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [WCAG-EM Overview: Website Accessibility Conformance Evaluation Methodology](https://www.w3.org/WAI/test-evaluate/conformance/wcag-em/), W3C Web Accessibility Initiative See: [AODA website pass](https://uxpro.ca/services/compliance/aoda). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#accessibility-audit ### AEO and GEO *Answer engine optimization; generative engine optimization* Two names for work that helps a site's content be found and cited in answers written by AI assistants and AI search, rather than only ranked as a link. The term generative engine optimization was introduced in a 2023 research paper as a way for content creators to improve their visibility in generative engine responses. Assistants answer many questions before anyone clicks a link, so being the source they cite is a second way to be found. Sources, read 10 October 2026: - [GEO: Generative Engine Optimization (Aggarwal et al., 2023)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.09735), arXiv See: [What Is AI Search Optimization (AEO/GEO)?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/what-is-ai-search-optimization), [AI search visibility](https://uxpro.ca/services/ai-search-geo). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#aeo-geo ### AI Overviews and AI Mode The AI features in Google Search, which, like Search overall, surface relevant links to help people find information and explore content they may not have found before. Google says there are no additional requirements and no special optimisations needed to appear in them: the same SEO fundamentals apply, such as allowing crawling, internal links and a good page experience. Being eligible starts with being a well-built, crawlable page; anyone selling a secret file or schema trick for it is overselling. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [AI features and your website](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features), Google Search Central See: [What Is AI Search Optimization (AEO/GEO)?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/what-is-ai-search-optimization), [Do I Need an llms.txt File?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/do-i-need-llms-txt), [AI search visibility](https://uxpro.ca/services/ai-search-geo). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#ai-overviews ### Alt text *Text alternative* The text that stands in for an image for people who cannot see it, read aloud by screen readers. The W3C's images tutorial says an informative image needs at least a short description of the essential information it presents, and a purely decorative image should have an empty value (`alt=""`) so assistive technology skips it. It describes what is in the picture, not the keywords you hope to rank for. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Images tutorial](https://www.w3.org/WAI/tutorials/images/), W3C Web Accessibility Initiative - [Decorative images](https://www.w3.org/WAI/tutorials/images/decorative/), W3C Web Accessibility Initiative See: [AODA Website Compliance for Ontario Businesses: What's Actually Required](https://uxpro.ca/blog/aoda-website-compliance-ontario-businesses), [What Is a UX Audit and What Do You Actually Get?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/what-is-a-ux-audit), [Accessibility statement](https://uxpro.ca/accessibility). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#alt-text ### AODA *Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005* Ontario's accessibility law. Under its information and communications standard, a designated public sector organization, or a business or non-profit with 50 or more employees, has had to make its public website and web content published after 1 January 2012 meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA since 1 January 2021, with two exceptions: live captions (1.2.4) and pre-recorded audio descriptions (1.2.5). Below 50 employees the website rule does not bind you, but the same WCAG criteria are what an accessible site is measured against. Sources, read 2 October 2026: - [How to make websites accessible](https://www.ontario.ca/page/how-make-websites-accessible), Government of Ontario - [Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, S.O. 2005, c. 11](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/05a11), Government of Ontario, e-Laws See: [AODA Website Compliance for Ontario Businesses: What's Actually Required](https://uxpro.ca/blog/aoda-website-compliance-ontario-businesses), [Accessibility statement](https://uxpro.ca/accessibility). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#aoda ## B ### Brand guidelines *Usage guide* The document that tells the next person how to use a brand: clear space, minimum sizes, what not to do, and the exact type and colour values. Ours run to about ten pages, so they are read rather than filed. Without one, the brand drifts a little with every printer, sign shop and new hire. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Branding and identity](https://uxpro.ca/services/branding), UXPro Design Studio See: [Branding and identity](https://uxpro.ca/services/branding). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#brand-guidelines ### Brand identity What we deliver under that name: a primary mark with the lockups you need, two typefaces with licences in your name, a colour set with its contrast ratios recorded, files for every place the brand appears, and a short usage guide. A logo is the smallest part of it. It is what makes your sign, your invoices and your website read as the same business. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Branding and identity](https://uxpro.ca/services/branding), UXPro Design Studio See: [How to Choose a UX Design Agency: 6 Questions to Ask](https://uxpro.ca/blog/how-to-choose-a-ux-design-agency), [Branding and identity](https://uxpro.ca/services/branding). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#brand-identity ## C ### Canonical URL The URL of a page that Google chooses as the most representative from a set of duplicate pages. A site can state its preference, for example with `rel="canonical"`, and Google says using more than one method increases the chance the preferred URL is the one shown. It stops the same page at two addresses from competing with itself, which matters most during a redesign. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [What is URL canonicalization](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/canonicalization), Google Search Central - [How to specify a canonical URL with rel="canonical" and other methods](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/consolidate-duplicate-urls), Google Search Central See: [SEO and content](https://uxpro.ca/services/seo-content). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#canonical-url ### Care plan A monthly service after launch: updates, monitoring, fixes and content work on a site we built or adopted. Ours are month to month and can be cancelled at any time. A site keeps changing after launch: browsers update, content is added, forms need checking. A care plan is someone whose job it is to watch for that. Sources, read 10 October 2026: - [Care plans](https://uxpro.ca/care-plans), UXPro Design Studio See: [What Is a Website Care Plan, and What's In It?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/what-is-a-website-care-plan), [Care plans](https://uxpro.ca/care-plans). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#care-plan ### Colour contrast *WCAG success criterion 1.4.3* The difference in luminance between text and its background, expressed as a ratio. WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.3 requires at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, and the thresholds are not rounded: 4.499:1 does not meet 4.5:1. A brand palette that fails it fails on every page at once, so we check it when the colours are chosen. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Understanding Success Criterion 1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum)](https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/contrast-minimum.html), W3C Web Accessibility Initiative See: [AODA Website Compliance for Ontario Businesses: What's Actually Required](https://uxpro.ca/blog/aoda-website-compliance-ontario-businesses), [What Is a UX Audit and What Do You Actually Get?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/what-is-a-ux-audit), [Branding and identity](https://uxpro.ca/services/branding). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#colour-contrast ### Concept, client work anonymised, and NDA *How we label our work* The three labels on our work. A concept is a fictional business we designed for practice, with no client and no results. Client work, anonymised, is real client work re-drawn under a new name at the client's request. An NDA card names only the sector, the deliverable and the stage. It tells you what each piece of work can and cannot prove, before you read it. Sources, read 10 October 2026: - [All work](https://uxpro.ca/work), UXPro Design Studio See: [Our work](https://uxpro.ca/work). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#work-labels ### Core Web Vitals Google's three measures of real-world page experience: Largest Contentful Paint (loading; good is within 2.5 seconds), Interaction to Next Paint (responsiveness; good is under 200 milliseconds) and Cumulative Layout Shift (visual stability; good is under 0.1). Google says good scores align with what its core ranking systems seek to reward, alongside other page-experience signals. They are measured on your visitors' own phones, so they are the closest thing to a published, checkable definition of a fast site. Sources, read 2 October 2026: - [Understanding Core Web Vitals and Google search results](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/core-web-vitals), Google Search Central See: [WordPress or Next.js in 2026? A Straight Answer](https://uxpro.ca/blog/wordpress-vs-nextjs), [Squarespace vs Wix vs Webflow vs a Custom Build](https://uxpro.ca/blog/squarespace-wix-webflow-custom), [What Is a UX Audit and What Do You Actually Get?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/what-is-a-ux-audit), [Choosing Online Booking for a Small Clinic](https://uxpro.ca/blog/clinic-online-booking), [Website design and build](https://uxpro.ca/services/website-design-build). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#core-web-vitals ### Cumulative Layout Shift *CLS* The Core Web Vital for visual stability: a measure of the largest burst of layout-shift scores for unexpected layout shifts during the life of a page, where a layout shift is a visible element changing position between frames. A good CLS, per web.dev, is 0.1 or less. It is the button that jumps as an image loads, so the visitor taps the wrong thing. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)](https://web.dev/articles/cls), web.dev (Google) See: [What Is a UX Audit and What Do You Actually Get?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/what-is-a-ux-audit), [Website design and build](https://uxpro.ca/services/website-design-build). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#cls ### CWELCC *Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care system* The federal-provincial agreement under which Ontario reduces licensed child care fees for children under six in participating programs. From January 2025, parent fees in CWELCC programs were capped at $22 a day, on the way to a $10-a-day average by the end of fiscal year 2025–26. Families do not apply; the reduction comes through an enrolled, licensed provider. Parents search for whether a centre takes part and what they will actually pay, so a daycare site that states its CWELCC status and fee plainly answers the first question they have. Sources, read 2 October 2026: - [Ontario's Early Years and Child Care Annual Report 2025](https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontarios-early-years-and-child-care-annual-report-2025), Government of Ontario See: [Daycare websites](https://uxpro.ca/industries/daycares). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#cwelcc ## D ### Design system *Component library, style guide* A complete set of standards for managing design at scale with reusable components and patterns. Its repository usually holds a style guide, a component library and a pattern library, and Nielsen Norman Group notes that creating and maintaining one takes dedicated, ongoing effort. It is why the tenth screen costs less than the first, and why a developer does not have to invent a button. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Design Systems 101](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/design-systems-101/), Nielsen Norman Group See: [UX and UI product design](https://uxpro.ca/services/ux-ui-design). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#design-system ### Design tokens A way of expressing design decisions, such as a colour, a type size or a spacing step, in a platform-agnostic form so they can be shared across disciplines, tools and technologies. The W3C Design Tokens Community Group stewards the specification for how they are defined and exchanged. When the brand colour changes, it changes once, and every screen and page follows. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Design Tokens Format Module](https://tr.designtokens.org/format/), W3C Design Tokens Community Group - [Design Tokens Community Group](https://www.designtokens.org/), W3C Design Tokens Community Group See: [UX and UI product design](https://uxpro.ca/services/ux-ui-design). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#design-tokens ### Doorway pages *Doorway abuse* Google's spam policies name doorway abuse as creating sites or pages to rank for specific, similar search queries; examples include multiple pages targeted at specific regions or cities that funnel users to one page, and substantially similar pages that sit closer to search results than to a clearly defined, browsable hierarchy. It is why we only publish a location page when it has something true and distinct to say about that place. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Spam policies for Google web search](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies), Google Search Central See: [Should a Contractor Have a Page for Every City?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/service-area-pages), [Where we work](https://uxpro.ca/locations). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#doorway-pages ### Drip pricing Advertising a price that cannot actually be paid because mandatory fees are added on top of it. The Competition Bureau says the practice raises concerns under the Competition Act unless the additional charges are imposed by government, such as sales tax. It is why our prices are the whole price, with only HST added, and why we say "plus HST" every time. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Drip pricing](https://competition-bureau.canada.ca/en/deceptive-marketing-practices/drip-pricing), Competition Bureau Canada See: [Project pricing](https://uxpro.ca/pricing). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#drip-pricing ## E ### E-E-A-T *Experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness* Google's shorthand for the aspects its systems look for in content: experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness, of which, Google says, trust is the most important. Google also says E-E-A-T itself is not a specific ranking factor; its systems use a mix of signals that can identify content that shows it. Named authors, dated sources and real work shown honestly are the parts of it a small business controls. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content), Google Search Central See: [SEO and content](https://uxpro.ca/services/seo-content). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#e-e-a-t ## F ### Fixed quote One price for the whole project, in writing, agreed before work starts. It changes only if the scope does, and a change of scope is quoted before it is built. You know the cost before you commit, and nobody bills you by the hour for something they should have foreseen. Sources, read 10 October 2026: - [Project pricing](https://uxpro.ca/pricing), UXPro Design Studio See: [Project pricing](https://uxpro.ca/pricing). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#fixed-quote ## G ### Google Business Profile Google's free listing for a business, which lets the business manage how it shows up on Google Maps and Search. A verified profile, Google says, can help customers find the business and build trust in it. For a local business it is often seen before the website is, so its name, address, phone and hours must match the site exactly. Sources, read 10 October 2026: - [Get started with Google Business Profile](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038063), Google Business Profile Help See: [Local SEO and Google Business Profile](https://uxpro.ca/services/local-seo-google-business-profile). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#google-business-profile ### Google Search Console A free Google service that helps a site owner monitor, maintain and troubleshoot the site's presence in Google Search results. Signing up is not required to appear in Google, but it shows how Google sees the site. It is where you see which searches find you, and where a broken page or a lost redirect shows up first. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [About Search Console](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9128668), Google Search Console Help See: [How to Redesign a Website Without Losing Rankings](https://uxpro.ca/blog/redesign-without-losing-rankings), [WordPress or Next.js in 2026? A Straight Answer](https://uxpro.ca/blog/wordpress-vs-nextjs), [What Is AI Search Optimization (AEO/GEO)?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/what-is-ai-search-optimization), [SEO and content](https://uxpro.ca/services/seo-content). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#search-console ### Google-Extended A robots.txt product token that lets a publisher manage whether content Google crawls may be used to train future generations of Gemini models. Google says it does not affect a site's inclusion in Google Search and is not a ranking signal. Blocking it is a training decision, not a search one; it does not remove you from Google. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Google's common crawlers](https://developers.google.com/crawling/docs/crawlers-fetchers/google-common-crawlers), Google for Developers See: [AI search visibility](https://uxpro.ca/services/ai-search-geo). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#google-extended ## H ### Heuristic evaluation A method for identifying design problems in a user interface, in which evaluators judge the design against a set of guidelines called heuristics. The best-known set is Jakob Nielsen's 10 usability heuristics, which Nielsen Norman Group calls broad rules of thumb rather than specific usability guidelines. It turns "I don't like it" into a named problem with a reason, which is what makes a design argument settle. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [How to Conduct a Heuristic Evaluation](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-to-conduct-a-heuristic-evaluation/), Nielsen Norman Group - [10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/), Nielsen Norman Group See: [UX and UI product design](https://uxpro.ca/services/ux-ui-design). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#heuristic-evaluation ### HST *Harmonized sales tax* The harmonized sales tax, charged at 13% where the place of supply is Ontario. The rate depends on the place of supply, not on where the seller is: the Canada Revenue Agency's own example is a British Columbia store that charges 13% HST on a mattress delivered to a customer in Toronto. Our published prices are before HST, and every page that shows a price says so. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Charge and collect the tax: which rate to charge](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/gst-hst-businesses/charge-collect-which-rate.html), Canada Revenue Agency See: [How Much Does a Website Cost in Ontario?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/website-cost-ontario), [What Is a Website Care Plan, and What's In It?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/what-is-a-website-care-plan), [Project pricing](https://uxpro.ca/pricing). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#hst ## I ### Information architecture *IA* The identification of a site's content and functionality, and the underlying organisation, structure and naming that define how they relate. Nielsen Norman Group notes that information architecture is not part of the on-screen interface; it informs the interface, and is documented in spreadsheets and diagrams rather than in wireframes or prototypes. It decides which pages exist and what they are called, so it decides whether a visitor finds the answer or leaves. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [The Difference Between Information Architecture (IA) and Navigation](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ia-vs-navigation/), Nielsen Norman Group See: [What Is a UX Audit and What Do You Actually Get?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/what-is-a-ux-audit), [How to Redesign a Website Without Losing Rankings](https://uxpro.ca/blog/redesign-without-losing-rankings), [Website design and build](https://uxpro.ca/services/website-design-build). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#information-architecture ### Interaction to Next Paint *INP* The Core Web Vital for responsiveness: it observes the latency of the clicks, taps and key presses during a visit and reports a single value that all, or nearly all, interactions were beneath. 200 milliseconds or less is good; above 500 milliseconds is poor. It is the lag between tapping "Book" and anything happening, the moment people tap twice or give up. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Interaction to Next Paint (INP)](https://web.dev/articles/inp), web.dev (Google) See: [What Is a UX Audit and What Do You Actually Get?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/what-is-a-ux-audit), [How to Choose a UX Design Agency: 6 Questions to Ask](https://uxpro.ca/blog/how-to-choose-a-ux-design-agency), [Website design and build](https://uxpro.ca/services/website-design-build). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#inp ## J ### Journey map *Customer journey map* A visualisation of the process a person goes through to accomplish a goal. Nielsen Norman Group calls journey maps a common UX tool that comes in many shapes, sizes and formats. Mapping the steps from first search to booked appointment shows where people drop out, which is usually not where the business expects. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Journey Mapping 101](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/journey-mapping-101/), Nielsen Norman Group See: [UX and UI product design](https://uxpro.ca/services/ux-ui-design). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#journey-map ## L ### Largest Contentful Paint *LCP* The Core Web Vital for loading: it reports the render time of the largest image, text block or video visible in the viewport, measured from when the visitor first navigated to the page. A good LCP, per web.dev, is 2.5 seconds or less. On a phone it is the moment the page looks ready, which is when a visitor decides whether to stay. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)](https://web.dev/articles/lcp), web.dev (Google) See: [What Is a UX Audit and What Do You Actually Get?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/what-is-a-ux-audit), [WordPress or Next.js in 2026? A Straight Answer](https://uxpro.ca/blog/wordpress-vs-nextjs), [Website design and build](https://uxpro.ca/services/website-design-build). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#lcp ### llms.txt A proposed convention, put forward by Jeremy Howard in September 2024: a Markdown file at a site's root (`/llms.txt`) with an H1 title, an optional short summary and H2 sections of links, so that a language model can find a site's most useful pages in a format it reads easily. It is a proposal, not a standard, and Google says it needs no special file for inclusion in its AI features. It is cheap to publish and forces a clear description of the site; it is not a ranking lever, and we do not sell it as one. Sources, read 2 October 2026: - [The /llms.txt file](https://llmstxt.org/), llmstxt.org - [AI features and your website](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features), Google Search Central See: [Do I Need an llms.txt File?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/do-i-need-llms-txt), [How to Help Your Website Appear in ChatGPT Search](https://uxpro.ca/blog/get-cited-in-chatgpt), [What Is AI Search Optimization (AEO/GEO)?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/what-is-ai-search-optimization), [AI search visibility](https://uxpro.ca/services/ai-search-geo). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#llms-txt ### Local ranking *The map results* How Google orders Business Profiles in local results. Google says local results are mainly based on relevance (how well a profile matches what someone is searching for), distance (how far the business is from the person searching) and popularity. Distance you cannot change; a complete, accurate profile and a site that matches it are what you can. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Tips to improve your local ranking on Google](https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091), Google Business Profile Help See: [Local SEO and Google Business Profile](https://uxpro.ca/services/local-seo-google-business-profile). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#local-ranking ### LSO marketing rules *Rule 4.2, Rules of Professional Conduct, Law Society of Ontario* Section 4.2 of the Law Society of Ontario's Rules of Professional Conduct governs how lawyers market their services. Rule 4.2-1 permits marketing only if it is demonstrably true, accurate and verifiable; neither misleading, confusing or deceptive, nor likely to be; and in the best interests of the public and consistent with a high standard of professionalism. The commentary names awards, rankings and third-party endorsements that are not bona fide, and terms such as "best" and "#1", as contrary to the rule. Every line of a law firm's site is marketing under this rule, so superlatives, unverifiable claims and testimonials are checked against it before launch. Sources, read 2 October 2026: - [Rules of Professional Conduct, Chapter 4: Marketing (rule 4.2)](https://lso.ca/about-lso/legislation-rules/rules-of-professional-conduct/chapter-4), Law Society of Ontario - [The ethics of advertising: the rules of advertising](https://cba.org/resources/practice-tools/the-ethics-of-advertising-a-toolkit-for-lawyers/the-rules-of-advertising/), Canadian Bar Association See: [LSO Marketing Rules and Your Website](https://uxpro.ca/blog/lso-marketing-rules-website), [What a Law Firm Website Needs: 12-Page Checklist](https://uxpro.ca/blog/law-firm-website-checklist), [Best Law Firm Website Companies in Ontario (2026): An Honest Comparison](https://uxpro.ca/blog/best-law-firm-website-companies-ontario), [Law firm websites](https://uxpro.ca/industries/law-firms). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#lso-marketing-rules ## M ### Markdown twin Our name for the plain-text copy of a page served at the same address plus `/markdown`: the same words, tables, links and sources as the page, with its canonical URL stated and marked `noindex` so it never competes with the page. Every guide, case study, service, industry, location, the pricing page and this glossary has one, and `/llms-full.txt` collects them. An assistant that fetches it reads exactly what you wrote, without reconstructing it from layout; we make no claim that this changes rankings. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [llms.txt](https://uxpro.ca/llms.txt), UXPro Design Studio See: [AI search visibility](https://uxpro.ca/services/ai-search-geo). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#markdown-twin ### Minimum viable product *MVP* Eric Ries's definition: the version of a new product that lets a team collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort. It is a learning tool, not simply the smallest product a team can ship. Before paying for an MVP, a prototype can often answer the same first question for a fraction of the cost. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Minimum Viable Product: a guide](https://www.startuplessonslearned.com/2009/08/minimum-viable-product-guide.html), Eric Ries, Startup Lessons Learned See: [Prototype or MVP: What Should You Build First?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/mvp-prototype-before-development), [How to Choose a UX Design Agency: 6 Questions to Ask](https://uxpro.ca/blog/how-to-choose-a-ux-design-agency), [Mobile app design](https://uxpro.ca/services/mobile-app-design). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#mvp ## N ### Next.js A React framework for building full-stack web applications. It is what we build on: pages rendered on the server, so their text is in the HTML before any script runs, no page-builder plugins, and code that lives in your own repository. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Next.js documentation](https://nextjs.org/docs), Vercel See: [WordPress or Next.js in 2026? A Straight Answer](https://uxpro.ca/blog/wordpress-vs-nextjs), [Squarespace vs Wix vs Webflow vs a Custom Build](https://uxpro.ca/blog/squarespace-wix-webflow-custom), [How to Redesign a Website Without Losing Rankings](https://uxpro.ca/blog/redesign-without-losing-rankings), [Website design and build](https://uxpro.ca/services/website-design-build). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#nextjs ## O ### OAI-SearchBot *GPTBot* OpenAI's crawler for search: OpenAI says it is used to surface websites in search results in ChatGPT's search features. It is controlled in robots.txt separately from GPTBot, which OpenAI uses for training its models, so a site can allow one and block the other. Blocking it keeps a site out of ChatGPT's search answers, which is rarely what a business wants. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Overview of OpenAI crawlers](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/bots), OpenAI See: [How to Help Your Website Appear in ChatGPT Search](https://uxpro.ca/blog/get-cited-in-chatgpt), [AI search visibility](https://uxpro.ca/services/ai-search-geo). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#oai-searchbot ## P ### Persona A fictional yet realistic description of a typical or target user of a product. Nielsen Norman Group notes that personas work because people are more captivated by concrete instances than by generalisations. A persona is only useful if it comes from research; one invented in a workshop is a guess with a name. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Personas Make Users Memorable](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/persona/), Nielsen Norman Group See: [UX and UI product design](https://uxpro.ca/services/ux-ui-design). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#persona ### PHIPA *Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (Ontario)* Ontario's health privacy law. It governs how health information custodians — health care practitioners, group practices, hospitals, pharmacies, laboratories and others named in the Act — collect, use and disclose personal health information, and it is overseen by the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. A clinic's booking and contact forms are where personal health information first arrives, so what they ask for, and where the answers are stored, is a PHIPA question before it is a design one. Sources, read 2 October 2026: - [Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004, S.O. 2004, c. 3, Sched. A](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/04p03), Government of Ontario, e-Laws - [Your health privacy rights in Ontario](https://www.ipc.on.ca/en/health-individuals/file-a-health-privacy-complaint/your-health-privacy-rights-in-ontario), Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario See: [PHIPA: What Your Clinic Website Form Can Collect](https://uxpro.ca/blog/phipa-clinic-website-forms), [Choosing Online Booking for a Small Clinic](https://uxpro.ca/blog/clinic-online-booking), [How Much Does a Website Cost in Ontario?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/website-cost-ontario), [Clinic websites](https://uxpro.ca/industries/clinics). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#phipa ### Pitch deck The slides a startup uses to make its case to investors. A pitch deck project with us starts with the order of the argument, then designs one point per slide with charts rebuilt from the founder's own numbers, and hands over an editable file with a short appendix of detail slides to send afterwards. The sequence of the story fixes more than the styling does; we never invent a figure to fill a slide. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Pitch deck design](https://uxpro.ca/services/pitch-deck-design), UXPro Design Studio See: [How Much Does Pitch Deck Design Cost in Canada?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/pitch-deck-design-cost), [Pitch deck design](https://uxpro.ca/services/pitch-deck-design). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#pitch-deck ### Prototype *Low-fidelity and high-fidelity prototypes* A candidate design solution made to be tested before it is built for real; Nielsen Norman Group calls a user-interface prototype a hypothesis. Prototypes range in fidelity: a low-fidelity one, such as a black-and-white sketch or a wireframe, captures only some or none of the final visual design, and a high-fidelity one captures much more of it. Testing a clickable prototype with five people costs days; discovering the same problem after development costs months. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [UX Prototypes: Low Fidelity vs. High Fidelity](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ux-prototype-hi-lo-fidelity/), Nielsen Norman Group See: [Prototype or MVP: What Should You Build First?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/mvp-prototype-before-development), [Mobile app design](https://uxpro.ca/services/mobile-app-design). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#prototype ## Q ### Query fan-out A technique Google says AI Overviews and AI Mode may use: issuing multiple related searches across subtopics and data sources to develop a response. An answer can draw on a page about a sub-question, so a site with a clear page per real question has more ways to be used. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [AI features and your website](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features), Google Search Central See: [AI search visibility](https://uxpro.ca/services/ai-search-geo). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#query-fan-out ## R ### Redline Our name for the first thing we do on any project: a person reads one page of your site at phone width and marks it up by hand. Each mark strikes a line, writes the replacement, and gives the reason beside it. It is free and it is how every project starts, so you see how we think about your site before anyone quotes a price. Sources, read 10 October 2026: - [Request a Redline](https://uxpro.ca/redline), UXPro Design Studio See: [Request a Redline](https://uxpro.ca/redline). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#redline ### robots.txt *Robots Exclusion Protocol* A file at a site's root that tells crawlers which URLs they may access, standardised as the Robots Exclusion Protocol in RFC 9309. Google says it is used mainly to avoid overloading a site with requests and is not a way to keep a page out of Google; that needs `noindex` or a password. It is also where a site says which AI crawlers it allows, such as OAI-SearchBot and Google-Extended. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Introduction to robots.txt](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/robots/intro), Google Search Central - [RFC 9309: Robots Exclusion Protocol](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9309), IETF See: [How to Help Your Website Appear in ChatGPT Search](https://uxpro.ca/blog/get-cited-in-chatgpt), [Do I Need an llms.txt File?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/do-i-need-llms-txt), [WordPress or Next.js in 2026? A Straight Answer](https://uxpro.ca/blog/wordpress-vs-nextjs), [AI search visibility](https://uxpro.ca/services/ai-search-geo). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#robots-txt ## S ### Service-area business In Google Business Profile, a business that sets a service area to show customers where it provides its products and services. Google's instruction is that a business that does not serve customers at its address should remove that address from its profile. It is why we show a city and not a street: we meet clients where they are, and the profile and the website must say the same thing. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Manage your service areas for service-area and hybrid businesses](https://support.google.com/business/answer/9157481), Google Business Profile Help See: [Should a Contractor Have a Page for Every City?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/service-area-pages), [How Much Does a Website Cost in Ontario?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/website-cost-ontario), [Local SEO and Google Business Profile](https://uxpro.ca/services/local-seo-google-business-profile). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#service-area-business ### Staging link A private web address where the real pages of your new site run before launch, so you can click through them on your own phone and computer. You catch what is wrong while it is still cheap to change, on the devices your customers use. Sources, read 10 October 2026: - [About the studio: five habits](https://uxpro.ca/about#how-we-work), UXPro Design Studio Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#staging-link ### Structured data *Schema markup, JSON-LD* A standardized format for describing a page and classifying its content, most often with the schema.org vocabulary and, as Google recommends, written as JSON-LD. It makes a page eligible for some enhanced search displays but guarantees none of them. It states, in a form a machine cannot misread, who you are, what you offer and at what price — and it must only describe what is visible on the page. Sources, read 2 October 2026: - [Introduction to structured data markup in Google Search](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/intro-structured-data), Google Search Central - [Schema.org](https://schema.org/), Schema.org See: [What Is AI Search Optimization (AEO/GEO)?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/what-is-ai-search-optimization), [What Is a Website Care Plan, and What's In It?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/what-is-a-website-care-plan), [SEO and content](https://uxpro.ca/services/seo-content). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#structured-data ## T ### Target size *WCAG success criterion 2.5.8* WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.5.8 requires a pointer target, such as a button or link, to be at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, with exceptions: among them an undersized target with enough spacing around it, a link inline in a sentence, and a function that can be reached through an equivalent control that meets the size. Small tap targets are where phone visitors mis-tap; the rule is a minimum, not a goal. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Understanding Success Criterion 2.5.8: Target Size (Minimum)](https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/target-size-minimum.html), W3C Web Accessibility Initiative See: [Mobile app design](https://uxpro.ca/services/mobile-app-design). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#target-size ### Trademark In Canada, a sign or combination of signs used, or proposed to be used, by a person to distinguish their goods or services from those of others. Registration with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office gives the owner legal title to it, in CIPO's words the way a deed gives title to real estate. Search the trademark register before you fall in love with a name; we design marks, and the legal clearance is a question for a trademark agent or lawyer. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Trademarks guide](https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/canadian-intellectual-property-office/en/trademarks/trademarks-guide), Canadian Intellectual Property Office See: [Branding and identity](https://uxpro.ca/services/branding). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#trademark ## U ### Usability testing *User testing* A research method in which a facilitator asks a participant to perform tasks with an interface while observing what they do and listening for feedback. Its usual goals are to find problems in the design, uncover opportunities to improve it, and learn about the target users' behaviour and preferences. Watching a handful of real customers try to book, buy or enquire shows you problems nobody on your team can see any more. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Usability (User) Testing 101](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-testing-101/), Nielsen Norman Group See: [Prototype or MVP: What Should You Build First?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/mvp-prototype-before-development), [UX and UI product design](https://uxpro.ca/services/ux-ui-design). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#usability-testing ### User research *User needs research* Research into who a service's users are, what they are trying to do, how they do it today and what gets in their way. The UK government's Service Manual defines user needs as the needs a user has of a service, which the service must satisfy for the user to get the right outcome, and says research should continue through every phase of development. Sized to the decision, it can be a week of reading support emails and talking to five customers, not a twelve-week study. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Learning about users and their needs](https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/user-research/start-by-learning-user-needs), GOV.UK Service Manual See: [How to Choose a UX Design Agency: 6 Questions to Ask](https://uxpro.ca/blog/how-to-choose-a-ux-design-agency), [UX and UI product design](https://uxpro.ca/services/ux-ui-design). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#user-research ### UX audit *UX expert review* A review of an existing website or product by an experienced practitioner, who checks the design against usability heuristics, other known usability guidelines and their own experience, and lists the problems found. Nielsen Norman Group describes an expert review as a broader version of a heuristic evaluation; it is not a test with real users. It is the quickest way to find what is costing you enquiries before you spend money on a redesign; our free Redline is a one-page version of it. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [UX Expert Reviews](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ux-expert-reviews/), Nielsen Norman Group See: [What Is a UX Audit and What Do You Actually Get?](https://uxpro.ca/blog/what-is-a-ux-audit), [How to Redesign a Website Without Losing Rankings](https://uxpro.ca/blog/redesign-without-losing-rankings), [UX and UI product design](https://uxpro.ca/services/ux-ui-design). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#ux-audit ## W ### WCAG 2.2 AA *Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2, Level AA* The W3C's recommendations for making web content more accessible to people with disabilities, including visual, auditory, physical, speech and cognitive disabilities. Level AA is the middle of its three levels; at AA, for example, normal-size text needs a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 (success criterion 1.4.3). It is the standard we build every site to and the one an accessibility review measures against. Sources, read 10 October 2026: - [Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2](https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/), W3C See: [AODA Website Compliance for Ontario Businesses: What's Actually Required](https://uxpro.ca/blog/aoda-website-compliance-ontario-businesses), [Accessibility statement](https://uxpro.ca/accessibility). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#wcag-2-2-aa ### Wireframe A page-level drawing of a screen's layout and content. Nielsen Norman Group notes that a wireframe conveys layout ideas well for sites and apps with mostly static pages, and is less useful for communicating heavily dynamic process flows. Settling structure in grey boxes is cheap; settling it after the visual design is done is not. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [Wireflows: A UX Deliverable for Workflows and Apps](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/wireflows/), Nielsen Norman Group See: [How to Redesign a Website Without Losing Rankings](https://uxpro.ca/blog/redesign-without-losing-rankings), [UX and UI product design](https://uxpro.ca/services/ux-ui-design). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#wireframe ## X ### XML sitemap A file that tells search engines which pages and files on a site the owner thinks are important, with information about them, such as when a page was last updated. Google lists a large site as one of the cases where you might need one. Ours is generated from the same list of routes as the site, so a new page cannot be forgotten. Sources, read 15 October 2026: - [What is a sitemap](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/sitemaps/overview), Google Search Central See: [How to Redesign a Website Without Losing Rankings](https://uxpro.ca/blog/redesign-without-losing-rankings), [WordPress or Next.js in 2026? A Straight Answer](https://uxpro.ca/blog/wordpress-vs-nextjs), [SEO and content](https://uxpro.ca/services/seo-content). Term URL: https://uxpro.ca/glossary#xml-sitemap --- Read the illustrated page: [Glossary](https://uxpro.ca/glossary)