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Questions tagged [interface]

An interface is the point of communication between user and system, allowing for input to the system and feedback to the user.

An interface facilitates communication between a user and a system, such as a machine or software. It can be physical (like a steering wheel, gearstick or speedometer in a car) or virtual (like a computer OS).

In screen design, the term interface often refers to the more specific GUI (Graphical User Interface). Questions dealing with the design of such GUIs can be tagged with the more specific .

Questions with the tag are concerned with more general aspects of interfaces and potentially include questions about physical or hybrid interfaces.

704 questions
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Disable past dates or display error message?

I am working on a project where there is a datepicker field. Users are not allow to choose past dates(only current and future dates allow). Right now we have two options to design this, which is either to : Disable past dates from the…
watermelonseed
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North American electrical outlet, why so sad?

I wasn't sure whether it was more appropriate to post here or rather on electronics SE, but please bear with me... Why was the 120 VAC outlet and the pinout of the plugs shaped the way they are? I thought it would be obvious to anyone working…
wim
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How to take advantage of white space on a blank interface

I'm working on an interface that allows users to create and edit playlists. As first time users will have no playlists, they will come across a fairly empty page that consists of a 'create playlist' button at the top of the screen (as well as the…
user47821
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How to extend the noun-verb paradigm to multiple nouns

Schemes used to command computers usually rely on noun-verb combinations or verb-noun combinations. For instance typical file managers use noun-verb combinations: if you want to remove a file, you first select the file in some manner and then issue…
user40989
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Differences between Non-Diegetic, Spatial, Meta and Diegetic User Interfaces

Could anyone please explain to me the differences between Non-Diegetic, Spatial, Meta and Diegetic User Interfaces? An example for each would be great.
JekasG
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Should the 'delete' action be part of the 'edit' functionality?

I have a list of photos where the user is able to edit or delete each photo. Once you click edit (where they can change title/description), should I also allow users to delete the photo? If the users meant to delete instead of edit they would need…
Taly Emmanuela
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How best to display multiple choices for multiple fields?

I have a tricky one. I need to let an IT administrator set the value for each field and assign that combination of values to an entity. (The following image shows a simplified example, where fields are named for meals, there are some choices for…
user31380
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Is there a better way to provide a main menu in iPhone than the tiled icons?

I'm creating a locator app as a project for one of my classes. The main menu of the app lists different categories of items for the app to locate and show the user via a map. Right now, I have about 8 different categories and I don't think that list…
OghmaOsiris
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When to use and when to not use modal popup for better user experiences?

Please suggest when to use and when to not use modal popup in the responsive application. Is it good practice to use modal popup in a responsive application with large mobile user base? what are alternatives?
Mantu Nigam
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How should I ensure a preschooler knows to tap his/her own name?

I'm currently in the process of developing a counting application for preschool-age children. My client wants the child to log in by tapping his/her name on the screen. I have a great voice actor on my staff who has already helped with the other…
moonman239
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Interface for a translation module

We have an application in which we create tests. These tests are created in a certain language (can be anything). In a phase of the test's process, it has to be translated so all languages we offer are covered (going from french-german to more…
Terry
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Does the quality of a web interface generally degrade with the growth of market share of the business behind the web site?

I have this observation of mine, that good (usable) user interfaces on the web are usually at their best upon the launch of the web site and some time after that, and then, as soon as the business behind the web site becomes successful (if it does…
drabsv
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If the search results are loaded into a cachable (can store data) Table, then will NextPage button better than Pagination?

I am developing a web 2.0 website, with a search page that contains a cachable table which can retain the searched data. How can my page manage if the results return a lot of data? There are 2 solutions: 1st solution: Using pagination, the search…
Tam
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Details View Or Edit View?

I am working on a simple interface where the initial screen shows a list of "options" to choose from. These options have a total of 6 properties per, only 5 of them would ever be shown to the user directly though. The initial screen lists 4 of the…
Justin
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Where to place the close button in circular modal form?

Where should the close [x] button in circular modal form be placed?
Alt-Rock Ninja
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