The phrase "alternative interface" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when referring to a different method or system of interaction with a device or software.
Example: "The software offers an alternative interface for users who prefer a more streamlined experience."
Alternatives: "different interface" or "substitute interface".
"They were asking for flexibility, but not an alternative interface," one Microsoft executive said.
They recently began sending out invites to Fluent, a site that promises an alternative interface to operate a Gmail account.
Also see the alternative interface Artemis Primary Sources that allows users to analyze content using frequency and term-relationship tools.
Available as an "alternative interface" on Android phones, it claims to be "far more than a screenreader for smartphones" by providing big talking buttons, clear print, simple layout and choice of colours.
With the rise of the Internet in the last couple of years, the business potential -- and threat to Microsoft -- of an alternative interface increased sharply, either as a shell provided by a PC maker or a browser like Netscape's Navigator.
Microsoft, industry executives say, feared that the shells could undermine the value of Windows by becoming an "alternative interface" that users see first and could be used to start programs like word processors, spreadsheets and games.
For more alternative interfaces, see PubMed Alternative Interfaces, a list maintained by HLWIKI International which is curated by a team of international health librarians.
Don't worry if visiting OpenFind pops up a download box: you can cancel it unless you want to use the alternative interfaces in Chinese (traditional) and Chinese (Simplified).
Ordinarily a text-based list of stories, Digg and its Digg Labs project are increasingly experimenting with these alternative interfaces, hoping to find new ways to browse through the site's bewilderingly rapid stream of content.
He likens it to how Windows 3.1 gave way to a host of alternative interfaces.
Here's an interesting little project that, while it's unlikely to grow into a major product, nevertheless demonstrates the potential of alternative interfaces.
