tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557457948801960842.post5562134106537730601..comments2024-02-07T10:40:34.426+01:00Comments on IT-Tactics: Why I hate ribbonsMartin Wildamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078822365635360301noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557457948801960842.post-67386485448217461432012-05-14T22:56:59.440+02:002012-05-14T22:56:59.440+02:00Yes, Existing Toolbars could be completely changed...Yes, Existing Toolbars could be completely changed and of course newly created ones too. Icons, Descriptions (Mouse-Over-Text), style (whether Icon or text display on the button), Order - everything.Martin Wildamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10078822365635360301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557457948801960842.post-83449365574869773622012-05-14T19:13:39.314+02:002012-05-14T19:13:39.314+02:00Old toolbars were customizable? I did not know tha...Old toolbars were customizable? I did not know that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557457948801960842.post-67686756546157147552011-12-11T15:38:10.164+01:002011-12-11T15:38:10.164+01:00Why not provide both Ribbons and Menus let the use...<i>Why not provide both Ribbons and Menus let the user decide? </i><br /><br />Because then no-one except low-skill users would use the ribbon UI. And the ribbon designers are not having that.Designer-monkeynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557457948801960842.post-16911755090046632452010-02-20T23:59:34.275+01:002010-02-20T23:59:34.275+01:00Today I met the first person who likes the ribbons...Today I met the first person who likes the ribbons. The discussion did not come to a real result. So I think I have to accept this as something like one prefers oranges and somebody else apples.<br /><br />Anyway, I hope Open Office is not going to adopt that.Martin Wildamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10078822365635360301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557457948801960842.post-85356814622723226662010-02-19T19:32:00.813+01:002010-02-19T19:32:00.813+01:00Our IT group provides desktop support for 60+emplo...Our IT group provides desktop support for 60+employees. Our experience with Microsoft Office in the last 3 years has been frustrating. The direction the UI has taken with the ribbon bar is in our experience a disaster, and our workload for desktop support has gone up because of it. The problem is that the menu+toolbar interface that worked extremely well for both naïve and power users was replaced with the ribbon bar that doesn’t work well for either. It doesn’t work for naïve users because there are so many icons in it that it is overwhelming to them. They typically only use a few commands, so why confuse them with so many?<br /><br />And it doesn’t work for power users because it takes up a significant amount of screen real estate and what used to take a single click now takes up to 5. Excel users in particular would much rather have an extra 3 rows of spreadsheet than a ribbon bar.<br /><br />Hierarchical menus allow one to scan all items in all submenus to find the needed command WITH A SINGLE CLICK. The human brain can also scan menu text much more quickly than it can icons, so power users are reporting fatigue at the end of a day with the ribbon bar that they never experienced with menu+toolbar.<br /><br />The toolbar could be customized for naïve users and training was a breeze. We almost never had to support power users before as they could typically quickly find what they needed. Now we regularly have to field questions about where to find the “stupid” icon to perform a seldom used task from power users two years after they started using the ribbon bar!<br /><br />This is not an opinion, it is a summary of the ongoing, persistent feedback that we have gotten from our users. It does no good to tell them to "get over it". These are power users, and there is something wrong with a UI that continues to frustrate them two years after they have tried to make it work.<br /><br />Like many UI issues, passionate opinions are abundant, both pro and con. It is futile to try and convert any one position to another. Fortunately, the fix for this is so obvious that I am baffled why it has not been implemented. Why not provide both Ribbons and Menus let the user decide? A simple checkbox in options would empower the user and completely resolve the issue.ia_macnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557457948801960842.post-50005232347530031772010-01-24T14:15:37.498+01:002010-01-24T14:15:37.498+01:00Never heard about that. - Had a look at it now and...Never heard about that. - Had a look at it now and I really do not find a reason why one should prefer that over Open Office. And for me it is impossible to use it as there is no Linux version.Martin Wildamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10078822365635360301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557457948801960842.post-28437669254463547502010-01-24T04:12:01.401+01:002010-01-24T04:12:01.401+01:00I already switched to Kingsoft Office. Chinese ver...I already switched to Kingsoft Office. Chinese version of MS Office. Very fast. Doesn't have some features like embedded documents within documents etc.. but I don't use those on daily basis.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557457948801960842.post-7811912987627999842009-12-07T18:52:54.324+01:002009-12-07T18:52:54.324+01:00Thanks for your addition - in fact, Internet is fu...Thanks for your addition - in fact, Internet is full of people who hate the ribbons, e.g.<br /><br />http://www.technologyquestions.com/technology/microsoft-office/237353-hate-ribbons.html<br /><br />http://forums.techarena.in/ms-office-support/756580.htm<br /><br />http://discuss.joelonsoftware.com/default.asp?joel.3.455976.20<br /><br />and many more...<br /><br />Actually I should mention: I really gave the ribbons a try and I still hated it - I did not give up after the first impression.Martin Wildamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10078822365635360301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557457948801960842.post-28847150573815716132009-12-03T20:41:21.576+01:002009-12-03T20:41:21.576+01:00You may be interested in my diatribe on this subje...You may be interested in my diatribe on this subject (and related subjects) at:<br /><br />http://www.projectpro.com/letters/usability.htmlDavid Zifferhttp://www.projectpro.comnoreply@blogger.com