A user interface, operating on a display client, for an application program, operating on a remote computer, is implemented such that the division of functionality between the application program and the user interface does not require the application program to possess information regarding the display capabilities of the display client. The remote computer transfers, to the display computer, an identification of a scene for a user interface of the application program. The scene defines an abstract layout for a screen display of the user interface. The user interface receives input from a user (e.g., the user selects a menu item from the user interface). The input event is interpreted, and data is generated based on the interpretation of the input event. The display client interprets the scene, and the data, based on the display capabilities of the display client. Based on this interpretation, the display client generates a display scene and display data for the scene. The display data is rendered on an output device of the display client.