The basic interface includes the menus, windows, the keyboard, the mouse, the beeps and all the channels that allow the user and the computer to communicate.

Interfaces are not limited to computer controlled devises, they also apply to many everyday things.

We will be focusing, however, on computer controlled devises.

The design method we will study focuses on the task.

Tasks are activities that users need to complete.

By careful and methodical study of the task, we can develop an interface that will help our users to complete this task more efficiently and easily.

The text book outlines a specific design process which, if followed correctly, will help us in designing better interfaces.

It is design that we are primarily concerned with here and not in the nuts and bolts of programming. It is up to another class or individuals to implement our designs.

See "It’s Obvious…Isn’t it--Chapter 0 page 4"