Re:Microsoft UI has officially entered the realm of self-parody
by aik on Monday August 29, 2011 @10:26PM
(#2939864)
Just one question:
Are these two statements different or restating the same thing with a different perception:
>> after years on OS X, I still discover hidden elegance
and something like:
"It takes me years to find some features because they're so well hidden, and perhaps unintuitive."
Re:Microsoft UI has officially entered the realm of self-parody
by devth on Tuesday August 30, 2011 @11:36AM
(#2941879)
Not at all. The things discovered are unessential to getting things done. It's usually just a nicer way or more of a "wow, I can't believe they thought of this crazy edge case".
A few examples: http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/400/got-any-mac-os-...
- It's ugly as hell
- A beginner is bombarded with way too many things to click on
- An expert is annoyed by useless buttons and waste of space
Sure, you can turn it off, but who wants to configure and reconfigure UI preferences for the rest of their lives (sidenote: reminds me of eclipse)? Sensible defaults, please.
Contrast this with Apple, whose designs often define what good design and usability means. In their apps:
- The appearance is simple, well-designed, elegant
- The only actions present are those deemed most necessary to the user
- Tons of functionality is hidden under shortcut keys, modifier clicks and context menus for expert users (after years on OS X, I still discover hidden elegance as a result of their zealous attention to detail)