T
The Blue Max
Microsoft menus are becoming fractured and are straying from some important
traditional conventions. One of the great universal benefits of the menu bar
in Windows applications, was that it represented a single portal that linked
the user, generally speaking, to virtually every feature built into the
program. There may have been buttons, hyperlinks, toolbars, property bars,
dockers, and a hundred other ways to access features, but the MENU BAR was
the one dependable door that allowed the user to explore and access every
feature in the program. We cannot over-emphasize how important this simple
principal was to users!
The consistent nature of the menu bar often preserved the user's sanity when
searching for a feature. In a world of hundreds of Windows programs with
thousands of different features, the user at least knew they could go to the
menu bar to find and execute every feature or tool included in the program.
Unfortunately, that day and principle are fading and Microsoft is greatly to
blame. The old menu bar is now split between a help icon on the right, quick
menu in the title bar, and an abbreciated drop-down menu from a title bar
icon. In many cases, the old menu bar has simply disappeared or auto-hides
itself until the ALT key is pressed, not a bad thing if it were to remain a
portal to all features. We fear that the interface is becoming a video game
of secret icons and hidden triggers that reveal mysterious features, but none
of this lends well to a structured, productive business environment.
We do not have the time nor money to play a guessing game of where a feature
might be found. In our opinion, despite the many great improvements to the
new interfaces, the violation of this single principle significantly
undermines the utility added by all the other great design concepts. Please
remember that a single portal to ALL PROGRAM FEATURES is a critical design
element, regardless of how many other ways the interface provides for
accessing those features. We need this type of a simplistic mainstay in
order preserve mental focus on the job task at hand versus the complexity of
the interface.
----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.
http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...-2789b652729f&dg=microsoft.public.office.misc
traditional conventions. One of the great universal benefits of the menu bar
in Windows applications, was that it represented a single portal that linked
the user, generally speaking, to virtually every feature built into the
program. There may have been buttons, hyperlinks, toolbars, property bars,
dockers, and a hundred other ways to access features, but the MENU BAR was
the one dependable door that allowed the user to explore and access every
feature in the program. We cannot over-emphasize how important this simple
principal was to users!
The consistent nature of the menu bar often preserved the user's sanity when
searching for a feature. In a world of hundreds of Windows programs with
thousands of different features, the user at least knew they could go to the
menu bar to find and execute every feature or tool included in the program.
Unfortunately, that day and principle are fading and Microsoft is greatly to
blame. The old menu bar is now split between a help icon on the right, quick
menu in the title bar, and an abbreciated drop-down menu from a title bar
icon. In many cases, the old menu bar has simply disappeared or auto-hides
itself until the ALT key is pressed, not a bad thing if it were to remain a
portal to all features. We fear that the interface is becoming a video game
of secret icons and hidden triggers that reveal mysterious features, but none
of this lends well to a structured, productive business environment.
We do not have the time nor money to play a guessing game of where a feature
might be found. In our opinion, despite the many great improvements to the
new interfaces, the violation of this single principle significantly
undermines the utility added by all the other great design concepts. Please
remember that a single portal to ALL PROGRAM FEATURES is a critical design
element, regardless of how many other ways the interface provides for
accessing those features. We need this type of a simplistic mainstay in
order preserve mental focus on the job task at hand versus the complexity of
the interface.
----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.
http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...-2789b652729f&dg=microsoft.public.office.misc