Most of the direct interaction that takes place between the user and the application is through the use of interactive fields. They provide a means for the user to communicate data to the application, as well as receive data from the application.

The type of interaction the user has with the application depends on the task. The task, in turn, determines the fields’ characteristics. The appearance of the fields, the application's response to user input, and assistance such as messages and help information must all be considered when defining an interactive field.

This topic begins with a description of field prompts for data fields and selection fields.