User interfaces come in many shapes and forms. Regardless of whether it is tangible or not, a user interface follows a standardized set of protocols and directions during its design process. The resulting product then requires a guide of some sort from the manufacturer (official guide) which detailed chapters of instructions and complementary illustrations to aid the end user.

The most common types of user interface include the following:

• Graphical user interfaces (GUI) accept input via devices such as computer keyboard and mouse and provide articulated graphical output on the computer monitor. There are at least two different principles widely used in GUI design: Object-oriented user interfaces (OOUIs) and application oriented interfaces;
• Web-based user interfaces or web user interfaces (WUI) accept input and provide output by generating web pages which are transmitted via the Internet and viewed by the user using a web browser program. Newer implementations utilize Java, AJAX, Adobe Flex, Microsoft .NET, or similar technologies to provide realtime control in a separate program, eliminating the need to refresh a traditional HTML based web browser;

User interfaces that are common in various fields outside desktop computing:

• Command line interfaces, where the user provides the input by typing a command string with the computer keyboard and the system provides output by printing text on the computer monitor. Used for system administration tasks etc;
• Tactile interfaces supplement or replace other forms of output with haptic feedback methods. Used in computerized simulators etc;
• Touch interfaces are graphical user interfaces using a touchscreen display as a combined input and output device. Used in many types of point of sale, industrial processes and machines, self-service machines etc.

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