Non-Diegetic UI
UI elements that exist only for the player, not within the game world. Traditional HUDs, health bars, and minimaps are non-diegetic, the character cannot see them.
In games, this means
A health bar floating above an enemy's head, a damage number popup, or a quest tracker in the corner, none of these exist in the game world, only on the player's screen.
Tags
HUD
UI Patterns
Visual Design
Related terms