Design vocabulary

Design Vocabulary

Overview

Bridge the gap between casual descriptions and precise design terms. When a user (or you) describes a UI concept loosely, look it up here before implementing.

When to use

• User describes a UI element informally ("yang ngambang itu", "efek kaca")
• You need the precise term to search references/ or implementation patterns
• Communicating design decisions in a handoff or audit

When to skip

• User already uses the correct term
• Pure code fix with no design concept involved

Lookup table

Layout & Structure

Description (loose)	Term	Definition
Cards in different sizes grid	Bento grid / Masonry	Asymmetric grid where items have varied sizes
Zig-zag text and image	Alternating layout	Rows alternate image-left/image-right
Content in the center, nothing on sides	Centered container / Max-width wrapper	Content constrained to a max-width, centered
Two columns, one narrow one wide	Sidebar layout / Holy grail	Classic sidebar + main content split
Full-width edge-to-edge	Full-bleed	Content extends to viewport edges
Overlapping elements	Z-stack / Overlapping composition	Elements layered via absolute/grid overlap
Split screen half and half	Split hero / 50-50 layout	Two equal panels side by side
Sticky thing that follows scroll	Sticky element	position: sticky — stays in view within parent
Content that pins while other scrolls	Scroll-linked pinning	One panel fixed while adjacent content scrolls
Cards that can be dragged to reorder	Drag-and-drop sortable	Reorderable list/grid via drag interaction

Components & Patterns

Description (loose)	Term	Definition
Popup that asks "are you sure?"	Confirmation dialog / Alert dialog	Modal requiring explicit confirm/cancel
Small notification that auto-hides	Toast / Snackbar	Temporary status message, auto-dismisses
Menu that appears on right-click	Context menu	Action menu anchored to pointer position
Box floating near a button	Popover / Tooltip	Non-modal overlay anchored to a trigger
Menu from the side	Drawer / Sheet / Sidebar panel	Slide-in panel from screen edge
Bottom sheet on mobile	Bottom sheet	Drawer that slides up from bottom on mobile
Dot on an icon showing count	Badge / Notification badge	Small count/status indicator on an element
Expandable section with arrow	Accordion / Disclosure	Collapsible content section with toggle
Tabs but vertical	Vertical tabs / Tab rail	Tab navigation stacked vertically
Stepper showing progress	Stepper / Wizard progress	Multi-step form progress indicator
Chips you can select/remove	Tag / Chip / Pill	Compact element for input, filter, or display
Search with dropdown suggestions	Combobox / Autocomplete	Input + filtered suggestion dropdown
Toggle that slides	Switch / Toggle	Binary on/off control with sliding thumb
Skeleton boxes before content loads	Skeleton screen / Placeholder	Animated loading placeholders mimicking layout
Lightbox for images	Lightbox / Image modal	Full-screen overlay for viewing images
Infinite scroll	Infinite scroll / Pagination by scroll	Load more items when nearing bottom
Breadcrumb trail	Breadcrumbs	Hierarchical navigation trail (Home > Category > Item)
Floating button bottom-right	FAB (Floating Action Button)	Persistent primary action floating on page
Card with image on top	Media card / Card with hero	Card component with prominent top image
Data table with sorting	Data table / Data grid	Table with sort, filter, pagination features
Command palette (Cmd+K)	Command palette / Command bar	Quick-action search overlay

Visual Effects & Style

Description (loose)	Term	Definition
Frosted glass / blur behind card	Glassmorphism	Translucent surface + backdrop blur + subtle border
Soft 3D raised look	Neumorphism	Soft inner/outer shadows simulating extrusion
Dark mode with depth	Dark surface hierarchy	Multiple dark tones creating elevation layers
Gradient border	Gradient border / Border image	Border using gradient instead of solid color
Glow around element	Glow effect / Box-shadow glow	Colored box-shadow simulating light emission
Parallax / background moves slower	Parallax scrolling	Background layers scroll at different rates
Text over image with overlay	Hero overlay / Scrim	Semi-transparent layer between image and text
Grain / noise texture	Film grain / Noise overlay	Subtle texture via SVG filter or CSS
Mesh of colors	Mesh gradient	Multi-point gradient with organic color blending
Blob shapes	Blob / Organic shape	Amorphous rounded shapes as decorative elements

Typography & Text

Description (loose)	Term	Definition
Small text under input	Helper text / Caption	Guidance text below a form field
Small label above input	Floating label	Label that animates from inside to above input
Text that appears letter by letter	Typewriter effect / Text reveal	Sequential character animation
Big bold hero text	Display heading / Hero heading	Oversized heading for primary visual impact
Text that fades in on scroll	Scroll reveal / Fade-in on scroll	Content enters view with opacity transition
Highlighted/colored word in heading	Accent text / Highlighted span	Emphasizing key word with color/weight
Truncated text with "..."	Text truncation / Ellipsis	Overflow hidden with text-overflow: ellipsis
Strikethrough on old price	Strikethrough / Price comparison	Line through original price showing discount

Interaction & Motion

Description (loose)	Term	Definition
Button shrinks when pressed	Press feedback / Scale-on-press	scale(0.96) on active state
Card lifts on hover	Lift hover / Elevation on hover	Increased shadow + translateY on hover
Smooth page switch	Page transition / View transition	Animated route change
Element morphs into another	Shared element transition / Morph	Element animates between two states/positions
Scroll-linked progress bar	Scroll progress indicator	Progress bar tied to scroll position
Sticky header that shrinks	Collapsing header / Shrink-on-scroll	Header reduces height after scrolling
Content slides in from side	Slide-in / Reveal entrance	Element enters viewport with translateX/Y
Staggered cards appearing	Stagger animation	Sequential delay on sibling element entrances
Logo carousel that never stops	Infinite marquee / Logo ticker	Continuous horizontal scroll loop
Image carousel with snap	Snap carousel / Filmstrip	Horizontal scroll with CSS scroll-snap

Page Types

Description (loose)	Term	Definition
Settings page with sections	Settings panel / Preferences	Grouped configuration UI
Landing page	Marketing landing / SaaS landing	Conversion-focused page with section stack
Dashboard with charts	Analytics dashboard	Data visualization + metrics overview
Login/signup page	Auth screen / Sign-in flow	Authentication entry point
404 page	Error page / Not found	Graceful dead-end with navigation options
Pricing table	Pricing page / Plan comparison	Tier comparison with CTAs
Profile/account page	Account settings / Profile page	User information management
Blog listing	Blog index / Article feed	Chronological content listing

Workflow

1. Listen for loose/informal UI descriptions
2. Match against the lookup table above
3. Return the proper term + brief definition
4. Use the term in your implementation and communication

Checklist

• Loose description identified
• Correct design term applied
• Term used consistently in code (class names, comments)
• Implementation matches the pattern definition

Depth

Cross-reference with:

• Component patterns: references/component-patterns.md
• Layout: references/responsive.md
• Motion: references/motion-families.md
• Landing sections: references/landing-sections.md
• UX foundations: references/ux-foundations.md