The Interface Designer sets the tone and parameters of how the user will interact with the program content. "Interface designers are responsible for the cognitive model users develop when working with a product. This model refers to the way users think about it, and about its organizations, its workings, and its capabilities ... Interface designers do more than make products "easy to use." They make them clear, rich, and meaningful... Interface design encompasses the disciplines of information design, interaction design, and sensorial design." (Vivid Studios, Careers in Multimedia, Emeryville, CA: Ziff-Davis Press, 1995, p. 170.). 

Job Skills Needed:

• Understanding of visual, sound and video design.
• Knowledge of computer hardware capabilities.
• Ability to help develop design concepts that support the goals of the project by participating in brainstorming sessions with other project team members.
• Ability to understand the capabilities and expectations of the product's potential users.
• Ability to conceptualize and describe the specific actions that the user will be able to perform while using the product and the product functions required to allow these actions. These are called "functional specifications." 
• Basic knowledge of cognitive psychology (how people think and perceive). 

Other Helpful Skills or Characteristics:

• Ability to be innovative and provide creative inspiration and direction. 

How to Find a Job: Use contacts from previous projects or professional organizations to get an interview with the project's producer or art director since they are the ones most likely to make the hiring decision. 

Compensation: A formal salary survey is not available; however references to annual salaries range from $25,000 for beginners to $75,000 for those with experience. Hourly wages range from $40/hr to $100/hr. All salaries depend on the nature of the project and the skill of the specialists.