affordance

[ uh-fawr-duhns ]

noun

1. a feature of an object or environment that prompts or promotes a specific use or interaction, especially one easily perceivable to the user, as a doorknob:

   The indentations on a bar of chocolate are an affordance that makes use of our common knowledge that the thinnest parts of something are the most breakable.

Word History and Origins

Origin of affordance¹

First recorded in 1875–80 in the sense “amount one can afford to pay”; current sense dates from 1965–70; afford ( def ) + -ance ( def )

Example Sentences

An affordance is a feature that offers garden-goers a chance to interact with a garden.

From The Daily Beast

Thus many designers reflect concern for an individualized approach to the understanding of affordance possibilities.

From Project Gutenberg