Writers understand that readers make choices, create meaning, and take an active role in the communication of information. Hypertext and hypermedia provide the thinking reader with the opportunity to interact both intellectually and physically with the text, images, icons, and buttons on the screen. The active reader's decisions are translated into physical actions, like selecting from options, pointing at links, and clicking to confirm choices. The web is more than simply an electronic display of information. It is an interface.
Web pages share common ground with both papertext writing and with software interfaces.
In the same way that writing techniques and theoretical approaches which are appropriate to print media can be applied or adapted for use in electronic media, theories and research from interface design , human-computer interaction , and cognitive science can be used to improve web page interfaces. This fact alone necessitates careful consideration of the interface issues.