As web developers, sometimes we use terms and lingo that is not familiar to our clients. Some common mix-ups we’ve experienced with clients have occurred when communicating about user interface elements such as buttons and textboxes. If you’re the person responsible for your organization’s website, hopefully the list below should help to increase your knowledge of some “industry terms” that you can use to communicate more effectively with your website vendor.

 

Below you’ll find a glossary of web terms for the most common user interface elements involved in creating a website:

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Textbox
The textbox is one of the most common elements on the web. It allows the user to enter text in either a single line format:

or a multi-line format (sometimes called a “text area”):

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Password
The password field is a single-line Textbox, but any characters that are entered are “masked” automatically using an asterisk or dot character to prevent anyone looking over your shoulder from knowing what you have typed.

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Dropdown
The dropdown (sometimes called a “select list”) allows the user to pick one option from a “dropdown” list of options. Dropdowns are often used to provide the user with a choice of options without taking up a lot of space on the screen.

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Listbox
The listbox (sometimes called a “multi-select list” allows the user to pick multiple options from an expanded list of options.

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Checkbox
The checkbox allows the user to provide yes/no, on/off, or true/false types of responses.
A checkbox can be listed by itself:

Or in a “checkbox list” where the user can select multiple options:

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Radio Buttons
Radio buttons normally appear in groups of 2 or more, and allow the user to pick one option from a group of options.

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File Upload
The file upload allows the user to choose a file on their computer by clicking on the “Browse” button and will display the chosen file name and location in the textbox.

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Button
The button is another very common element found on almost all websites. The button just provides a visual indicator that this is something the user can click on to perform an action (such as submitting a form)