These are the most common interfaces. They are a combination of images, icons, windows, menus and other such elements. Text entry boxes, list boxes and check boxes are also GUI elements. Good GUI's guide a user through complex tasks in a simple manner and with little prior knowledge. Software developers attempt to keep similar GUI's across different applications. Microsoft office is a good example. The GUI for all of the office applications are very similar. So once one application is learned in detail, the others will take less time to learn.

GU's are sometimes called WIMP (Windows, icons, menus and pointers) systems. For a WIMP system you would expect a window for each application open (or multiple windows for a single application), icon and menu driven with a pointing device to perform operations. Keyboard interaction tends to be kept to a minimum so complicated keyboard commands do not have to be memorized.

Main features

• Intuitive to use and directly aimed at the novice user
• Tends to have the most commonly used tasks directly available (shortcuts)
• Is normally the most customizable interface and the most interactive
• Uses icons to represent tasks to aid the user
• Main input method is through a mouse or touch screen.