Editing User interface (section)

== Overview ==

[[Image:Reactable Multitouch.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Reactable]] musical instrument, an example of a [[tangible user interface]]]]

The user interface or ''human–machine interface'' is the part of the machine that handles the human–machine interaction. Membrane switches, rubber keypads and touchscreens are examples of the physical part of the Human Machine Interface which we can see and touch.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eurotherm Parker SSD Link Hardware L5392 {{!}} Automation Industrial |url=https://l5392.com/blog |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=l5392.com |language=en}}</ref>

In complex systems, the human–machine interface is typically computerized. The term ''human–computer interface'' refers to this kind of system. In the context of computing, the term typically extends as well to the software dedicated to control the physical elements used for [[human–computer interaction]].

The engineering of human–machine interfaces is enhanced by considering [[ergonomics]] ([[human factors]]). The corresponding disciplines are [[human factors engineering]] (HFE) and [[usability engineering]] (UE) which is part of [[systems engineering]].

Tools used for incorporating human factors in the interface design are developed based on knowledge of [[computer science]], such as [[computer graphics]], [[operating systems]], [[programming language]]s. Nowadays, we use the expression [[graphical user interface]] for human–machine interface on computers, as nearly all of them are now using graphics.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

[[Multimodal interface]]s allow users to interact using more than one [[Modality (human–computer interaction)|modality]] of user input.<ref>{{Cite book|doi = 10.1145/142621.142641|chapter = The role of natural language in a multimodal interface|title = Proceedings of the 5th annual ACM symposium on User interface software and technology - UIST '92|year = 1992|last1 = Cohen|first1 = Philip R.|pages = 143–149|isbn = 0897915496|s2cid = 9010570}}</ref>