A system and method for enabling user preferences and device characteristics to be used to generate a customized interface for services and particularly, for enabling interaction between heterogeneous mobile devices and services in a local environment through one's device. The system automates the creation of custom mobile interfaces for service interaction, since the author of a service is typically unaware of the different types of devices that will utilize the service. The method includes communicating, when a service is invoked, the input capabilities of the device to a service broker along with preferences of the user. The characteristics and functionality of the service is included in the specification of the service. A mapping function maps the triad of user preferences, device description, and service functions to optimize the placement of the services' functions (interfaces) on to the device's input controls while taking the user preferences and device output controls into account.