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I'm designing a feature that is similar to a Lightbox, not the preview feature, but rather the photo-house variety. You can save pictures, video and text to a folder to be downloaded later.

Because it isn't only used for pictures, my team is reluctant to use the term "Lightbox".

I think that because users understand what a Lightbox does it is best to use that term, even though text is included.

The term they suggested is collection, but that is rather strange. Any ideas or suggestions?

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    can you provide a screenshot or wireframe ? would be easier to visualize
    – Mervin
    Feb 21, 2013 at 16:50
  • Some thoughts: library, media library, media set, folder.
    – Peter
    Feb 21, 2013 at 17:06
  • Do you mean something that overlays another screen - if so overlay is a name I've used for years. I'm not familiar with the term 'photo-house' but I imagine it might be known to an US audience. Who is the audience for this term? Is it external users. If so is it just a US audience?
    – Stewart Dean
    Feb 21, 2013 at 18:53
  • No, it isn't a layover. It is a folder people save content to. The audience is international, but it is a tool designed strictly in English.
    – Ana
    Feb 21, 2013 at 18:57

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I had a very similar issue on a client project a few years ago. We had a restricted section of the site that allowed members of the press to add photos and articles to a "lightbox" and then download them as a zip archive. The client originally insisted that the audience would recognise the term "lightbox", but later found that the concept was in fact confusing (perhaps because we had to support text as well as photography).

If I remember correctly, we changed the interface so that images and articles each had an "Add to download" button, and then had a single prominent control to "Download Now (8 items)" at the top.

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  • Exactly our issue. Thanks for the feedback, this is very useful information!
    – Ana
    Feb 21, 2013 at 18:47
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From what I understand the concept describes a temporary location where users will place items (not necessarily restricted to photos, hence the term item), in order to perform various actions (downloading being one) on those items later on.

For me the term basket, used in eCommerce, is the closest match.

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In the real world, a 'folder' or binder that you save text clippings and photos to is a "scrap book". There's precedent for using this name: Windows 95 had a little-used feature for saving text or OLE objects from the clipboard directly to files, which it called "scraps".

If you're using the name in a design context (i.e. designers are your target audience), then "art board" or "mood board" might have a more professional feel, but it's a looser connection.

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  • Thanks for that input. The audience is very wide and geared more towards editors. I'm getting some good ideas here.
    – Ana
    Feb 22, 2013 at 15:29
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I think that My Favourites is an easy to understand label for the kind of lightbox functionality you are describing.

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Could you not use the term 'Media Lightbox' ? This then lets the users know it is for all media and the term lightbox is still relevant

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