Microsoft UI design...

2

Comments

  • Reply 21 of 46
    vox barbaravox barbara Posts: 2,021member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Placebo

    ...

    And btw, who uses menus or toolbars anyways? Keyboard all the way, I don't care how they choose to dumb it down for those mouse-clickers.




    Same here Btw, are you back (sooner than i thought)

    or are you just packing your bags to board the ship

    soon?
  • Reply 22 of 46
    kim kap solkim kap sol Posts: 2,987member
    The huge problem with Windows is lack of uniformity: the interface can vary so much on Windows that it's nearly impossible for a user to make heads or tails of anything. The user can't learn one app and feel comfortable in another app because a large majority of them have fundamentally different behaviors.



    Examples:



    On the Mac, all apps have a menu bar and they are generally instantiated once no matter how many documents you open in that app.



    On Windows, apps can have a menu bar...or they don't necessarily have to...and they can be built upon the MDI concept or not (for multiple documents or multiple window interfaces). They can throw away all concepts of uniformity by not having menu bars nor toolbars.



    How the fuck is a user's interface experience going to be good if you have to relearn how to use a new program?



    On the Mac, you *know* to look in the menus for functionality that aren't directly available within the document or app windows. On the Mac you know that quitting an app will close all documents opened or created by that app. You don't necessarily know this in Windows...



    On Windows, you've got lots of custom GUIs. OS X isn't the best for UI consistency (two different metal themes, two different Aqua themes, Pro themes, GarageBand custom theme, etc.) but these themes are a fuck of a lot more similar than the Window Media Player and MSN Messenger's custom theme (thankfully toggleable) and this new Office theme.



    MS is dangerously walking towards huge UI inconsistencies. It might be the Holy Grail user interface to some of you...but unless APIs are created so that other developers can create familiar UIs for their apps, the whole thing is a flop.
  • Reply 23 of 46
    xoolxool Posts: 2,460member
    That giant office icon in the corner is like a second Start button specifically for Office stuff. I don't get either, although at least the Start button is trivially obvious for the idiots out there.



    Meanwhile I can't see how this release will be good for the average user, the people who keeping buying the MS stuff because its what they know. in this version everything is moved around and is using non-standard interface elements. Way to show you know your customer and know what they want!
  • Reply 24 of 46
    kim kap solkim kap sol Posts: 2,987member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Placebo

    No, it's offering the spacially minimized nature of a textual menu, while incorporating a visual/spacial element that has the power of toolbar to provide the user with quick information and visually identifiable functions, yet can easily be switched between modes of operation. The same thing is used in Dreamweaver, and it works great.



    And btw, who uses menus or toolbars anyways? Keyboard all the way, I don't care how they choose to dumb it down for those mouse-clickers.




    So long.
  • Reply 25 of 46
    a_greera_greer Posts: 4,594member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Gene Clean

    No, I'm not. One click, you get the menu.







    HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!!! I knew Office 12 would be bad but DAMN.....



    I predict that few if any will upgrade and within 12 months, you will see office 13, with a more sencible gui
  • Reply 26 of 46
    corkurkcorkurk Posts: 90member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by kim kap sol

    The huge problem with Windows is lack of uniformity: the interface can vary so much on Windows that it's nearly impossible for a user to make heads or tails of anything. The user can't learn one app and feel comfortable in another app because a large majority of them have fundamentally different behaviors.



    Examples:



    On the Mac, all apps have a menu bar and they are generally instantiated once no matter how many documents you open in that app.



    On Windows, apps can have a menu bar...or they don't necessarily have to...and they can be built upon the MDI concept or not (for multiple documents or multiple window interfaces). They can throw away all concepts of uniformity by not having menu bars nor toolbars.



    How the fuck is a user's interface experience going to be good if you have to relearn how to use a new program?



    On the Mac, you *know* to look in the menus for functionality that aren't directly available within the document or app windows. On the Mac you know that quitting an app will close all documents opened or created by that app. You don't necessarily know this in Windows...



    On Windows, you've got lots of custom GUIs. OS X isn't the best for UI consistency (two different metal themes, two different Aqua themes, Pro themes, GarageBand custom theme, etc.) but these themes are a fuck of a lot more similar than the Window Media Player and MSN Messenger's custom theme (thankfully toggleable) and this new Office theme.



    MS is dangerously walking towards huge UI inconsistencies. It might be the Holy Grail user interface to some of you...but unless APIs are created so that other developers can create familiar UIs for their apps, the whole thing is a flop.






    This seems dead on. Even within the Office Suite this is far too common. My personal beef (which seems to happen to me at least once a week on my Windows box at work) is how closing a document in Word only closes that one document. However, closing out a document in Excel quits the entire program. What? Does no one check up on this stuff?



    Although the same could be said for iTunes and iPhoto so it's not all Microsoft's doing.
  • Reply 27 of 46
    jlljll Posts: 2,713member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Gene Clean





    I guess that if you make a very long file name the document gets punctured.
  • Reply 28 of 46
    bigbluebigblue Posts: 341member
    These colors remind me at my sisters bedroom when she was little. But I think pregnant women will like the new Office
  • Reply 29 of 46
    vox barbaravox barbara Posts: 2,021member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by BigBlue

    These colors remind me at my sisters bedroom when she was little. But I think pregnant women will like the new Office



    Not to mention the save button. At least they could have

    come up with something that doesn't refer back to that kind

    of past technology. Leap ahead is the all new word, iirc

    In MSs world it sur(e)ly means Leap back or Leave to hack

    or leave to grieve . Well.
  • Reply 30 of 46
    outsideroutsider Posts: 6,008member
    does this generation even know what a floppy disk is?
  • Reply 31 of 46
    vox barbaravox barbara Posts: 2,021member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Outsider

    does this generation even know what a floppy disk is?



    Good question, well my little button doesn't know

    what a floppy is. Oddly enough, for her it is somewhat

    similar to cassette tape. She never encountered one

    in person. Weird world we do live, don't we?
  • Reply 32 of 46
    xoolxool Posts: 2,460member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by JLL

    I guess that if you make a very long file name the document gets punctured.



    I don't know which is worse, the menu growing wider or ellipsis.



    Quote:

    Originally posted by BigBlue

    These colors remind me at my sisters bedroom when she was little. But I think pregnant women will like the new Office



    Yeah, not lickable (or likable!) for sure. Think the Paperclip guy will be replaced with a teddy bear?
  • Reply 33 of 46
    bigbluebigblue Posts: 341member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Xool

    Yeah, not lickable (or likable!) for sure. Think the Paperclip guy will be replaced with a teddy bear?



    Hello Kitty would be hip, but this is MS
  • Reply 34 of 46
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    PR NewsWire: Mar 15 2006:

    MS, Jim Davis team up for next generation UI.



    (Redmond) Microsoft and Jim Davis Enterprises today announced a co-licensing agreement for their intellectual creative properties. "We are thrilled to announce that that lovable Garfield will be our next Helpful Little Finder icon in Vista," said Bill Gates. "We think he's just adorable, and really captures the essence of the Vista experience."



    In return, Jim Davis will receive free rights to produce copies of the new UI in whatever form he desires. "I think this is fantastic - I've been looking for something to jazz up the liner of my catbox, and this is perfect."
  • Reply 35 of 46
    I'ts like a kid's playground!!!

    reminds me of those word processing programs for kids...
  • Reply 36 of 46
    splinemodelsplinemodel Posts: 7,311member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by dacloo

    Microsoft is learning from Apple, hiring more designers for Vista and their apps. Check out the Office 2007 screenshots. . .



    Microsoft reminds me of the Soviet Union. They have hordes of brilliant people designing all of their stuff, but it still manages to be second rate in all aspects. I can only attribute this to the kind of culture the company fosters, as well as the sort of people who want to go work for Microsoft in the first place. They clearly make the mistake of planning their features in too much depth, which absolves the designer from the creative process.
  • Reply 37 of 46
    1337_5l4xx0r1337_5l4xx0r Posts: 1,558member
    Wow, that post was deep, Splineguy!



    To look at the garbled shit that is that Office's UI, and recall that it's primary function is a word processor*, it makes me laugh. Maniacally.



    Sorry if you've seen this, but this video is SO concise: Microsoft redesigns the iPod's packaging



    *a $500USD word processor
  • Reply 38 of 46
    bigbluebigblue Posts: 341member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by 1337_5L4Xx0R

    Sorry if you've seen this, but this video is SO concise: Microsoft redesigns the iPod's packaging





    Man, this is good
  • Reply 39 of 46
    amoryaamorya Posts: 1,103member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by wingk1314

    I'ts like a kid's playground!!!

    reminds me of those word processing programs for kids...




  • Reply 40 of 46
    vox barbaravox barbara Posts: 2,021member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by 1337_5L4Xx0R

    ...



    Sorry if you've seen this, but this video is SO concise: Microsoft redesigns the iPod's packaging





    The sad truth is, it is probably exactly how it works

    at MS.
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