---
title: "Glossary"
description: "Design and engineering terms as the studio uses them: 8px grid, design system, surface steps, prototype fidelity and more, each linked to a longer note."
canonical: "https://goodtogrid.com/glossary"
updated: "2026-10-02"
---

# Glossary

> Design and engineering terms as the studio uses them: 8px grid, design system, surface steps, prototype fidelity and more, each linked to a longer note.

URL: https://goodtogrid.com/glossary · Updated: 2026-10-02

What do terms like 8px grid, design system, surface steps, prototype fidelity and information architecture mean? This glossary defines each one in a sentence or two, the way goodtogrid uses it in its own design and engineering work, and links every term to the note that explains it at length. It stays short on purpose: a term is added only once one of the studio’s notes explains it properly.

## Glossary

- **[Design system](https://goodtogrid.com/glossary/design-system)** — The shared rules and components a product is built from, so new screens match the old ones.
- **[8px grid](https://goodtogrid.com/glossary/eight-pixel-grid)** — Every size a multiple of eight, so spacing explains itself at handover.
- **[Information architecture](https://goodtogrid.com/glossary/information-architecture)** — How content is grouped, named and ordered, so each visitor's question has an obvious place to go.
- **[Prototype fidelity](https://goodtogrid.com/glossary/prototype-fidelity)** — How close a prototype is to the real thing, and which questions each level can answer.
- **[Surface steps](https://goodtogrid.com/glossary/surface-steps)** — The few background levels a dark interface uses to show what sits on what.