Web Design References

Web Design Glossary

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L

Labels
Labels are the names and terms used throughout a website that identify menu options, site categories or other elements. For more information see: Labels in Navigation
Label Element
The label element associates a label with a form control. For more information see: Labels in Accessibility.
Layout Table
A table that uses rows and columns to organize content visually on the screen. In a layout table, the positioning of content in particular cells does not imply a relationship to the content in other cells as it does in a data table.
Language Attribute
An easy accessibility feature to add (and it is even AAA WCAG) is the language attribute lang="en-us" to the HTML tag to identify the primary natural language of a document. For example:
<html lang="en-us">
The "en-us" means English as spoken and written in the United States. Identifying language helps a user agent to display text appropriately for that language. For example, IBM Home Page Reader knows a few languages, and if the language is not indicated in the document using the lang attribute, then it applies the rules of whatever language has been selected the default in its settings.
If language changes inside a document it should also be indicated, since the user cannot (in practice) modify the settings on the fly in the middle of a document. Thus, if you have French words or phrases in a document, you should use lang markup for them, e.g.
<span lang="fr">Loire</span>
For more information visit Language.
Leading
The difference between the values of line-height and font-size. It is the extra space between the lines of text above and below the font's size.
Legibility
Legibility indicates how clear text is visually.
Likert Scale
A likert scale is a type of question where respondents are asked to rate the level at which they agree or disagree with a statement. For instance on a scale from one to five a user can strongly disagree or strongly agree with a statement.
Line-box
In CSS, a line-box is the box which bounds the highest and lowest points of the inline boxes which are part of the line. It is the distance from the top of the highest inline box in the line to the bottom of the lowest inline box in the line. A line-box is as tall as the inline boxes within a line. That is, the top of the tallest inline box and the bottom of the lowest inline box define the top and bottom of the line box. That determines the separation between baselines.
Line-height
This style sheet property determines the amount by which the height of each element's line box is increased or decreased. Basically it is not a set measurement, but a calculation. In CSS, line-height is the difference between the values of line-height and font-size for a given element. The line-height property specifies the logical height of an inline element. This is the height used in the vertical alignment of inline elements and the construction of line boxes. It defines the height of the inline box for a given element. It determines the amount by which the height of each element's linebox is increased or decreased.
Lines Per Inch
Lines Per Inch is a vertical measure of density but it's not worth worrying about. If you're have your Dots Per Inch high enough then you won't have Lines Per Inch problems and you don't have to bother with it. It refers to the frequency of horizontal and vertical lines on a halftone screen. I think photoshop occasionally brings up the subject of LPI just to make sure amateurs continue to find it impenetrable. When you come across the term, think of lpi as around half or two thirds of Dots per inch and you won't go far wrong.
Linearized Table
A table rendering process where the contents of the cells become a series of paragraphs (e.g., down the page) one after another. The paragraphs will occur in the same order as the cells are defined in the document source.
Link Rot
Link rot is the degeneration of a web page due to the links that become invalid. For more information see: Link Rot.
Link Element
The link element defines the relationship between two linked documents. It goes in the head section, but it can appear repeatedly.
Liquid Design
A liquid designed web page re-scales to fit different resolutions and different window sizes. For more information see: Liquid Design.
Local Navigation
Local navigation is a type of navigation where choices lead to subtopics defined by one of the main menu subjects.
Logical Operators
In programming, logical operators are used to combine conditions, so that multiple conditions can be evaluated together as a single expression. For instance, they allow a script to determine the status of conditions and in the context of if...else or while statements and execute code based on which conditions are true or false.
Longdesc
Similar to alt text, the longdesc associates an image description with the code that places the image in the page. This is in contrast to the D link, which simply places a link near the image.
Look and Feel
Look and feel is the visual appearance that identifies a web site. It is comprised of a consistent color scheme, layout, typography, design treatments and graphic elements - all of which should work in harmony.
Lorem Ipsum
Lorem Ipsum or Lipsum is random text. It is a common piece of garble that designers use as mock-content when testing layouts. It has been well established that if you write anything in a sample layout or design, people will spend more time reading the copy than looking at the full concept. "Lorem ipsum dolor" is sufficiently like ordinary text to show "text goes here" but it doesn't distract the reader. For more information see: lipsum.com.
Low Vision
The term used to describe a person who is without a significant measure of vision but is not totally blind.
Lynx
A text only browser that is popular in amongst UNIX users, and commonly used by people with disabilities and those in low bandwidth areas. It can be downloaded from the Lynx site.