Interface designers use human factors engineering, graphic design theory and other methodologies to design the user interface of a computer system. The interface determines how a user is led through a program or process, setting up a likely path or paths for the user to navigate. It also provides a conceptual structure for organizing large amounts of information. Further, interfaces offer tools for filtering information and then retrieving it at a later point, according to some set of criteria. A more specialized branch of interface design is called interaction design.
Interaction designers are concerned with the experience of the user.
They think about how a product feels to a user, how users understand the workings of the product, whether it serves the user's purposes, and how it fits into the entire work context. The work of interface designers had led to the development of mice, graphical windowing systems, voice input devices, and the substitution of icons or other graphics for text-based programs. The interface designer is an important part of a software development team, and as such, opportunities should be comparable to other areas of software development. Includes full text downloadable HCI Design handbook. This site features research about user interface software and other general supporting technologies designed to make it easier to build better user interfaces faster.