Tech Jargon Decoder for Non-Technical Founders: A Plain-English Glossary
You do not need to become technical to build a software product, but you do need to understand the words people use when they talk about it. Jargon is where misunderstandings, hidden costs and awkward silences begin. This glossary translates the terms you are most likely to hear while building an MVP into plain English, with a note on why each one matters to you as a founder.
Key takeaways
- Learn the terms developers use: scope, API, database, staging, UAT and more.
- Each term comes with why it matters to your budget and timeline.
- Five phrases that deserve a follow-up question before you agree to anything.
Bookmark it, and when a developer uses a word you do not know, ask. A good developer will be glad you did. A developer who is annoyed by the question is giving you useful information about how the project will go.
The product and planning vocabulary
| Term | What it means | Why you should care |
|---|---|---|
| MVP | Minimum Viable Product: the smallest version that lets real users do the one job your product exists for. | It is a learning tool, not a “cheap version.” Everything you add raises cost and delays feedback. |
| PRD | Product Requirements Document: a written description of users, flows, features and priorities. | It is what a quote should be based on. See our Discovery Sprint. |
| User flow | The steps a user takes to complete a task, such as sign up, choose a plan, pay. | Price and timeline follow the number of flows. |
| User story | A one-line requirement: “As a client, I want to upload a document so my accountant can review it.” | The simplest way to describe features without technical language. |
| Wireframe | A rough, black-and-white layout of a screen. | Cheap way to agree on structure before design. |
| Mockup / prototype | A designed or clickable picture of the product that is not the real thing. | Lets you test ideas before building. |
| Scope | The agreed list of what will be built. | Anything outside it is a change request, which costs extra. |
| Scope creep | Features quietly added after the scope was agreed. | The most common reason budgets and timelines slip. |
| Backlog | A prioritised list of work still to do. | Where “later” ideas live so they do not disrupt version one. |
| Sprint | A short, fixed period (often one to two weeks) in which a set of tasks is completed. | Gives you regular points to review progress. |
| Milestone | A meaningful checkpoint, such as “sign-up and login working.” | Payments are best tied to milestones. |
How software is built
| Term | What it means | Why you should care |
|---|---|---|
| Front end | What users see and click: screens, buttons, forms. | This is where design lives. |
| Back end | The behind-the-scenes logic and storage that make the front end work. | Most of the real complexity, and cost, is here. |
| Database | Where your app stores its information: users, orders, messages. | A badly planned database is expensive to fix later. |
| Data model | The plan for what is stored and how pieces relate (a Client has many Projects). | Agree it early. Changing it late affects everything. |
| Workflow | A set of actions the app performs when something happens, such as sending a welcome email after sign-up. | Your product’s rules live in workflows. |
| Authentication | Proving who someone is (logging in). | Affects sign-up, password reset, social login. |
| Authorization / permissions | Deciding what each person is allowed to see and do. | Critical for privacy. A client should never see another client’s data. |
| Roles | Groups of permissions, such as Admin, Staff, Client. | More roles means more complexity. |
| Admin panel | A private area for you to manage users and data. | Often forgotten in quotes, then needed urgently. |
| Responsive | A layout that adapts to phone, tablet and desktop. | Confirm it is included. |
| Plugin | Ready-made add-on that gives a platform extra abilities. | Saves time but adds a dependency to maintain. |
| No-code / low-code | Building software visually, with little or no hand-written code. | Faster for MVPs. See what non-technical founders can and cannot build on Bubble.io. |
Connections between systems
| Term | What it means | Why you should care |
|---|---|---|
| API | A defined way for two software systems to talk to each other. | Payments, email and AI features all connect through APIs. |
| Integration | A working connection between your app and another service. | A leading cost driver. List every one you need. |
| API key | A secret password that lets your app use another service. | Must be kept private and stored in accounts you own. |
| Webhook | An automatic message another service sends your app when something happens, such as “payment succeeded.” | How most payment confirmations work. |
| Third-party service | Any outside tool your product depends on. | Each has its own fees, limits and risks. |
| Sandbox | A safe test mode offered by a service, with fake money or data. | Where payments are tested before going live. |
| Single sign-on (SSO) | Logging in through an existing account such as Google. | Convenient for users, extra setup for you. |
Testing, launching and running
| Term | What it means | Why you should care |
|---|---|---|
| Bug | Something that does not work as intended. | Agree how bugs are reported and fixed. |
| QA | Quality assurance: the developer’s own testing. | Ask what testing is included. |
| UAT | User acceptance testing: you, or real users, confirming the product does what was agreed. | Your job, and the point at which you approve delivery. |
| Development vs live version | A private copy for building and testing, and the public one users see. | Protects real users from half-finished work. |
| Staging | A near-identical copy of the live product used for final checks. | Ask whether you have one. |
| Deployment | Pushing changes from the test version to the live product. | Should be deliberate and reversible. |
| Rollback | Returning to a previous working version after a bad release. | Your safety net. |
| Domain and DNS | Your web address and the settings that point it to your app. | Register the domain yourself. |
| Hosting | Where your product runs. | Platforms such as Bubble handle this for you. |
| Scalability | How well the product copes as users increase. | See our guide on performance optimisation. |
| Technical debt | Shortcuts taken now that cost more to fix later. | Sometimes a sensible MVP trade-off, but it should be a conscious one. |
| Refactor | Reorganising how something is built without changing what it does. | Maintenance work, not new features. |
| Workload units | Bubble’s measure of how much work your app asks the server to do. | Affects your monthly platform bill. See how to calculate and control your WU bill. |
Five phrases that deserve a follow-up question
- “That’s easy.” Ask: easy compared to what, and does it affect anything else?
- “We’ll sort that out later.” Ask: will it change the price or the data model?
- “It’s mostly done.” Ask for a demo you can click through.
- “That needs a custom solution.” Ask what the standard option would be and why it is not enough.
- “Just trust us on the tech.” Ask for a plain-English explanation. You are allowed one.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to learn to code to run a software project?
No. You need to understand your users, make clear decisions and ask good questions. This vocabulary covers most of what you will hear.
What is the single most important concept to understand?
Scope. Almost every dispute between founders and developers is a disagreement about what was included.
How do I know if an explanation is honest?
Ask the developer to explain it again using an example from your own business. People who understand something can usually do that.
Ready when you are
Turn your idea into a working MVP in weeks, not months
Book a free 30-minute Idea Audit with a certified Bubble.io developer. You will leave knowing what to build, how to build it and what it will cost.
SA Solutions is a product studio led by a certified Bubble.io developer, building MVPs, SaaS platforms, portals, dashboards and internal tools for founders.