About Us

Who are Interface3?

Interface3 is a consultancy specialising in the design and development of interactive tablet and table-top applications. Our aim is to develop fun, informative and innovative applications that are intuitive to use.

We can do this because our team has experience in designing for multitouch interfaces, as well as an intimate knowledge of multitouch libraries and hardware, and most importantly, a user-centered approach to design.

Where are you based?

We're based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

We're opposite one of the best Informatics/Computer Science departments in the UK. We also have a spectacular view of Edinburgh Castle and the Forth Road Bridge from our office.

Multitouch Interfaces - is that like the technologies in Minority Report?

Yes, multitouch are human-computer interfaces which accept more than one point of contact. In other words, your computer can recognise your whole hand or more than one person using it at the same time.

These interfaces represent a brand new paradigm change in how people interact with computers, meaning designing software for multitouch devices requires a whole new mentality ... which is where we come in. Don't believe us? Just ask Steve Jobs.

That sounds very sci-fi ...

It all sounds very futuristic, but the hardware is available now. We're more than happy to tell you all about it.

Do you make the tables?

No. We only design the software to run in it.

Also, because we're not attached to any particular hardware supplier, we can give you an objective view of what options are out there and help you evaluate them for your solution.

What is multitouch good for?

Short answer: Lots of things - including collaboration, navigation, accessibility (touch vs mouse/keyboard input).

Long answer: From our perspective, multitouch is perfect for collaborative and social learning scenarios meaning that you can have more than one person working on the same thing - together. Have you ever been in a situation where there are two of you huddle around a computer and fighting over the mouse and keyboard? A multitouch interface erases that.

Do you only design table top applications?

No, we can design for a variety of platforms In terms of hardware, we're actively looking into tablets.

Why? We imagine future classroom or meeting room technologies to be integrated: sharing data and resources between whiteboards, tablets and tables. We're actively working on technologies to enable cross-platform learning and collaboration.

In terms of software, we also develop for iOS and Flash/Flex.

Who is in your team?

Glad you asked. You can check out our team here.

Why the name - Interface3? What happened to Interface1 and 2?

Ah. That pun. We chose Interface3 because it represents the third generation of Human Computer Interfaces. The first was the command line, the second was WIMP (Windows, Icon, Mouse, Pointer) and so touch based interfaces are the third.

Also, it is related to the Third Place, separate from the two usual social environments - Home and the workplace which is where our software gets deployed.

What makes you special?

We like to think everyone is special. But our team stands out because we have a deep knowledge of how to design for touch-based interfaces and the different multitouch platforms and help you make sense of it. Old rules for desktop software design just don't apply in a table setting.

We also pride ourselves as focusing on you, the customer to get a clear understanding of what you do and how this application fits in with your overall objectives. We're also up-front and honest: we'll tell you what we think will work and won't work and will try to fit round your budget and needs.

I'm a hardware supplier, I want to work with you

We would love to hear what your hardware is like, please drop us an email.

I've got other questions and they're not answered here

Feel free to drop us an email or call us and we'll be happy to talk.