Continious source of irritation!!!

[Wim Ahlers]

For now I have 2 sources of irritation.

First:
There might be a webpage on the microsoft.com homesite
where you actually can add comments to improve their
products from a user perspective view (and I am one of
those users!!!). It is either not their, well hidden or I
am to stupid to be able to find it.
The other option is that it actually is not there and that
big brother (=microsoft) knows what is good for me.

secondly (this is my current and specific complaint):
I am trying to make address labels. For this reason I
bought some address label sheets. On the box it states
very clearly that there are 3 times 24 address labels per
sheet. Each sheet is A4 in size (A4 is an international
standard used in Europe and many other countries).
Furthermore each address label is 33.9 by 66.0 mm.
Hence, enough and easy information for a product as
microsoft Word to find a matching template.
Or not...?
Instead, Word produces a list of all the address labels
that are ever defined (hunderds of them!).
From a user perspective view this is utterly useless
because I have to sequentially and manually search the
whole list and hope for a match.
Is it too difficult for Microsoft Word to give me the
option in which I can specify the paper standard (A4) and
specify the number of labels that are actually on a sheet
(3 x 8 = 24, which I can actually see/count).
After these specifications the Word software can then look
for a 'best match', which will be a short list, instead of
burdening the user to do this job.

I called the subject 'Continious source of irritation'.
Reason: This is a typical example where the software is
programmed for the programmer and not programmed for the
actual user. Programmers should realise that users are not
interested, willing or able to learn the 1000 plus pages
manual by heart for each product and product release.
Furthermore, what is 'obvious' for the programmer (e.g.
description, menu option and the like) may not be so
obvious for the user.
Maybe I am to demanding because sofar I haven't found a
single software product that meets the user requirements
as I see them.

Regards, Wim Ahlers (The Netherlands).

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

1. You can send your suggestions to (e-mail address removed).

2. Labels are listed by brand and stock number. If you are using a standard
brand of label, you should be able to find them that way. If you are using a
nonstandard brand, the package probably states that it is "equivalent to"
some standard brand stock number. For example, if they are Avery labels, you
look in the "Avery A4 and A5 sizes" category and find the stock number of
the labels you have. In that particular category, J8159 seems close, but the
dimensions you gave don't make sense. There could be 24 labels (3 x 8) on
the page, but not 3 x 24. If you don't find a label definition that matches,
you can create your own custom definition.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://www.mvps.org/word
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Wim Ahlers]

Thanks for your quick reply!

Correction on the previous mail:
The line specifying:
3 x 24
should have read:
3 x 8 = 24

Problem is still the same, that is:
No, there is really no type specified on the box.
Only the measurements are specified on the box.
The only other text that might indicate a specific type
reads: SP14.
But the problem is still the same, that is, I have to go
manually through all the lists.
(I did not check them all but judging on the names I saw I
do not expect this code to be anywhere on any of these
lists).
It would be nice if there would have been a field that I
could have selected in the wizard that I can fill in with
this value. So I immediately know whether this 'type'
exist or not.

I get the feeling from your reply that you are convinced
that there must be a type somewhere described on the
outside or inside of the box or any accompanying
information sheet. Therefore to be complete the following
information:

I bought these labels myself and the package was totally
closed in plastic.
After opening there was one normal page containing
measurement information only. It only repeated and
confirmed the information on the outside of the box
containing these sheets.
The following is all the information on the outside of the
box:

8 712894 609154
66 x 33.9 mm
100 vel a 24 etiketten
SP14
R65-1026633
-8144645-

And that was that...
The number 8 712894 609154 is a barcode
100 vel a 24 ettiketten is dutch and means 100 sheets of
24 labels per sheet.
The meaning of all the other numbers is unknown.
The other information is not relevant. It only specifies
the manufacturer and repeats that these are labels (in
dutch again).

N.B. J8159 does not correspond with the measurements given
but I will try them out anyway...
Thanks for the mswish address...

 

[Mike Williams [MVP]]

Furthermore, what is 'obvious' for the programmer (e.g.
description, menu option and the like) may not be so
obvious for the user.

...and what is obvious and necessary to one user, is confusing and annoying
to another.

 

[Wim Ahlers]

Thru...no two users are alike, but...
(Referring to my original mail)

It is obvious that for all(!) users who want to print
address labels that you can assume he/she does this
because he actually has one or more sticker address label
sheets.
Consequently you can assume that he/she can count the
address labels per sheet and can measure all relevant
dimensions. This is (almost) a guarantee.
However, you can not assume that the (correct) type
information is always present. And that is my point.

Regards,
Wim Ahlers.

P.S. I realise this is not the place to discuss and fight
over (a) design issue(s) and/or proposal(s)/wish(es). I
was already directed to the mswish@ mailbox. I will not
pollute your database any further.
Finally, I do recognise and appreciate the complexity of
software systems. It is a hell of a job (actually elusive)
to please everybody. Alan Cooper, the author of 'About
face' and original designer of the Visual Basic interface
comes close.

 

[Mike Williams [MVP]]

Thru...no two users are alike, but...
(Referring to my original mail)

It is obvious that for all(!) users who want to print
address labels that you can assume he/she does this
because he actually has one or more sticker address label
sheets.
Consequently you can assume that he/she can count the
address labels per sheet and can measure all relevant
dimensions. This is (almost) a guarantee.

When you've read 20,000 posts or more on these newsgroups as I have over the
past few years, you realize that "obvious" and "guarantee" in your contexts
are blindly optimistic statements.

And yes I've read, studied and spoken to Alan Cooper, Donald Norman et al in
person.