What is UI?

UI is an abbreviation for User Interface. The word "interface" means "point of contact," so UI refers to the "boundary" between users and things when they exchange information. Therefore, in computers, not only the software, but also the hardware (the body) such as the keyboard and the monitor can be called a UI. By improving the UI, the exchange of information becomes smoother, and the computer can be operated intuitively.

There are several types of software UIs. CUI (Character User Interface) is a UI that can be operated only by entering text using the keyboard. It requires specialized knowledge to operate and is not intuitive, but those who can operate it can execute complex processes quickly. It is often favored by system developers. GUI (Graphical User Interface) is a visually operated UI represented by images and icons. Most of the applications and websites we use in our daily lives are GUIs. Mainly, UI design means to improve the appearance and design of applications so that they can be operated more intuitively by humans. VUI (Voice User Interface) is a UI that can be controlled by voice, for example, Google's voice search system and Amazon's Alexa. For example, Google's voice search system and smart speakers such as Amazon's Alexa are included in VUI.