Customisation

Customisation means letting the user change the interface to suit their own preferences. The settings are saved, so the interface opens the way they like it every time they start work.

Common settings cover appearance, such as a dark or light theme, the accent colour used for highlights and the shape of window corners. Language and regional settings let the user pick the language for menus and messages, and the order that dates, times and numbers appear in.

For example, Sam shares a home computer with his sister. On his account he picks a dark theme with green highlights and rounded window corners because he likes how it looks, while she keeps the default blue. Nothing on the screen was hard for Sam to see: he simply prefers it, and the interface feels familiar the moment it opens.

Customisation is not accessibility

Customisation is about personal preference. Accessibility features, such as captions, colour filters or switch access, remove barriers that a disability creates. Choosing green highlights because you like them is customisation; switching on a colour filter because some colours are hard to tell apart is accessibility. One setting could serve both purposes, but the reason it is switched on tells you which idea it is.

Why it helps

A customised interface is more comfortable and familiar, so the user spends less effort working out where things are and can get on with their task. Since the same software can be adjusted for many different tastes and formats, a customisable interface suits a wider range of users.