10 More Tech Terms Simplified

Ready for round two?

A few weeks ago, we started looking at some popular tech-y terms and their meaning in everyday speak. Even if you work with tech regularly, sometimes it’s good to get a refresher – trust me.

So, in the spirit of my own learning, I got our developers to chip in. They helped me compile another list of tech terms that are frequently used (and very important) in the web design industry. Here are their top ten:

10 (More) Tech Terms Simplified

1. Web font: A web font is a specific typeface that you install in your browser. While you may be familiar with fonts, not every font will work well on the web. Some of them are unreadable. This one’s important to us because, in the design phase, it’s important to make sure the fonts you choose will work on a web browser.

2. Revision: When you work with a web development agency, you may hear this term a fair bit. It’s the process of revisiting the design to make changes.

3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): SEO is the really fancy acronym we use that basically means making it easy to find your website online. When you use SEO tactics, you’re making it easier for search engines to examine your website’s content and rank it. The better your content is for search engines, the higher you’ll rank!

4. Staging server: We use staging servers to test how a website works before we launch it. Staging servers can also be used to test software and/or services; the most important part is that the staging server accurately mimics how a website will behave once it goes live.

5. Dev: It might sound like some mysterious term for a complicated portion of code, but the answer is quite simple. It’s our geeky way of saying developer or development, which is the process of building a website with all of the proper code and markup language. Dev-elopment. Dev-eloper. Dev. See what we did there?

6. Scope: The scope refers to all of the relevant plans, information, resources, contacts, etc. in a project. It’s important to set the scope of a project before it begins in order to make sure time and resources are being spent wisely. It’s ultimately the scope of the project that helps us stay on track.

7. Database: A database is a structured collection of information (data) stored in a computer. Databases are often built to allow for easy access and management, just in case any information needs to be updated.

8. JPEG image: Joint Photographic Experts Group images are named after the company that created the file type. This is the file type most commonly used for images. The file is raster, meaning that when scaled larger, it becomes pixelated; it can be used by any user, and is often used for small projects that don’t need a designer.

9. EPS image: EPS stands for Encapsulated PostScript. It’s a vector version of an image, meaning it’s made up of lines that are calculated mathematically, which lets you resize it infinitely.

10. PNG image: Portable Network Graphics is similar to the JPEG file type. The main difference is the transparent background, which is unlike a JPEG that uses a white background. This file type can be used in similar applications to JPEGs, and can be used by both designers and non-designers.

And there you have it! See, tech terms aren’t so scary. In fact, there’s a good chance that you and I will get the hang of this. Just you wait. One of these days, I’ll convince one of our developers to write about marketing speak.