A GUI is a graphical user interface that uses images and graphic objects to represent the information and actions available in the interface, in Lugar of a purely textual display for a computer. By reading this, you are looking at your particular web browser’s GUI or graphical user interface. The term came into existence since the first communicating user interfaces to computers were not graphical; they were text- and keyboard-oriented. They typically consisted of commands you had to remember and the computer’s infamously brief responses. The DOS operating system command interface (which you can still get from your Windows) is a sample of the typical user-computer interface before GUIs came along.

How does a GUI Work?

The GUI is a user interface that allows users to communicate with the computer. It is usually based on interaction through the mouse and keyboard (although control through gestures is becoming more common): the pointer moves on the screen when you move the mouse. The device’s signal is transmitted to the computer, which then translates it into an equivalent movement on the net. For example, if an operator clicks on a specific program icon in the menu, the corresponding instruction is executed, and the package can open.

THEREFORE, the GUI is a kind of translator in the communication between humans and machines. Without the GUI, you would have to use the command line to call programs and applications.

What are the Components of a GUI?

A GUI combines visual design and programming features. It offers buttons, dropdown menus, navigation fields, search fields, icons and widgets. Developers should always keep ease of use in mind. The most common components of a GUI are the following:

  • Input Fields
  • Ventana
  • Canvas _ _
  • Marcos
  • Buttons
  • Header Blocks
  • Text Fields

The Recycle Bin is an excellent example of an item familiar to most operating systems. Also, its graphical representation on both Windows and Mac is the image of an actual trash can. In this way, the user knows immediately that it is use to delete documents and files.

Developers rely on event-driven programming when writing GUIs because user actions are unpredictable. It is why GUIs cannot be programmed linearly but must be written so that a command is only executed when the user gives the signal for it.

What Requirements Must a GUI Meet?

A good GUI must be, above all, easy to use for the user. Therefore, during the design phase, the GUI must be intuitively controll. However, to achieve this, it is necessary to understand the user’s needs and preferences. Therefore, a user experience oriented design aims to provide the user with what he expects from the application.

If you are going to develop a GUI, pay attention to the following aspects:

Please keep it simple

Avoid unnecessary design elements and keep designations simple and easy to understand.

Design With a Goal Orientation

each page must be well structured; each piece must have a clear function.

Consistency

If multiple elements and graphics are use, all the individual components must be consistent.

Layout and Typography

Depending on the component’s purpose, layout units, colours, and text should highlight or hide the element. It is also important to use fonts and font sizes appropriate for the function and easy to understand.

User Updates

A graphical user interface should also report errors and changes in state.

Types of Graphical User Interface

The GUIs and ZUIs

The types of graphical user interfaces ( GUIs ) found in computer games and advanced virtual reality-based GUIs are frequently use in research tasks. For example, many research groups in North America and Europe are currently working on the Zooming User Interface ( ZUI ), a logical advancement of GUIs, mixing 3D with 2D. For example, it could be an expression “2 and a half dimensions in one-dimensional vector objects”.

Touch screen user interface

Some GUIs are designe to meet the rigorous requirements of vertical markets. These are known as the specific use GUIs. An example of a GUI for a particular use is the now familiar touch screen or touchscreen (a screen that, when touched, performs mouse commands in the software). It is currently implement in many restaurants and self-service stores around the world. Gene Mosher started it on the Atari ST computer in 1986. His specified use of touch screen GUIs has spearheaded a worldwide and innovative revolution in computers throughout the food and beverage and retail industries.

Other examples of specific use GUIs related to the touch screen are ATMs, information kiosks, and monitoring and control screens in industrial uses that employ a real-time operating system (RTOS). Mobile phones and gaming systems or consoles also use touch screens. Furthermore, home automation is not possible without a good user interface, or GUI.

Natural User Interface (NUI)

Natural NUIs are those where you interact with a system, application, etc., without using input devices such as a mouse, keyboard, stylus, etc. Instead of these, the hands or fingertips are use.

Conclusion

Without graphical user interfaces, the digital revolution would not have been conceivable. GUIs allow even inexperienced users to become familiar with the programs quickly. In addition, easy-to-understand symbols and explanatory text ensure a high ease of use.