perceivable

Perceivable is an adjective meaning that something can be perceived by the senses or by the mind. It describes information, signals, or phenomena that can be noticed, detected, or understood under appropriate conditions.

Etymology: the word comes from perceive + -able, ultimately tracing to Latin percipibilis. In everyday use, perceivable emphasizes potential detectability rather than certainty, depending on context and the observer’s abilities.

In accessibility and inclusive design, perceivable information and user interfaces are those that can be presented to users in ways they can perceive. This includes providing text alternatives for non-text content, captions and transcripts for audio and video, sufficient color contrast, resizable text, and content that can be adapted to different devices and sensory modalities. The goal is to ensure that content remains usable across a range of abilities and environments.

Perceivable content is central to accessibility standards and best practices, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, which require information and user interface components to be perceivable under various conditions. This often involves presenting information through multiple modalities, avoiding reliance on a single sensory channel, and ensuring users can customize how content is delivered.

Compared with perceptible, perceivable generally stresses the potential for detection or awareness, while perceptible emphasizes the act of becoming aware. The term is widely used across fields from sensory science to user experience design.