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Who should judge Win7's success?
Innuendo:
I'm glad to tell you that I will make use of this right then...-Tuxman (October 17, 2009, 11:49 AM)
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Vive la différence and all that. :) I will say I don't buy into everything MS has put into Windows 7. For example, while I welcome all the UI changes in Windows 7 I still don't use Explorer for file management. I still rely on Total Commander for that & you can't get any more 'classic' than that. ;)
JavaJones:
Things change. User interfaces are refined and usability is improved...if you give them a chance. There's a small amount of time with less productivity until you get used to the new way of doing things, but after you've learned the new way your productivity will have increased.
-Innuendo (October 17, 2009, 11:14 AM)
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Is UI configuration and function an absolute in terms of productivity? Or is it a preference? I happen to think it is very much a preference. Different people work best in different ways. XP and Vista both gave users a choice as to how they wanted to work with the Start Menu and Task Bar. Win7 removes some of that. Is that progress? Depends on your perspective I guess.
There is nothing wrong with you liking the changes and feeling that, if you give them a try and get used to them, you'll probably like them. But what if someone (like me) has tried them, for quite a while (several months now), and still doesn't like this new way of working? Are they wrong, or is MS wrong for removing options? Did they need to remove options to enable some other new function, or was it just them wanting to move everyone into a more consistent way of working, for support reasons or whatever? It's certainly their perogative to do this, I'm not arguing that, but I don't agree that it is unquestionably an improvement.
But maybe I just haven't figured out exactly how to use it. Here's a question for you, maybe someone has a solution: Assuming there are benefits to spatial memory and association (e.g. the Start menu is always lower-left and you can quickly move your mouse there to activate it at any time), how do you maintain that with the pinned apps on the task bar when the pinned apps move as e.g. several windows of an app to the left of it in the task bar are opened (if merging of app windows is disabled as I prefer). This is especially problematic if you enable labels for task bar entries, as I also prefer. One of the reasons for having them on is I can glance at my task bar and get a quick idea of e.g. how many unread messages in my email, and lots of other info. Win Win7 I either have to have that turned on and lose spatial memory associations, making my work slower, or I have to turn it off and then hover over a task bar entry to get the info I could normally get just from glancing downward. This all seems like a step backward in the productivity of the UI to me. But again maybe I'm just using it wrong.
Ultimately the problem with major UI changes, no matter how innovative or apparently helpful, is that people have almost always created potentially complex ways of working with the old design and may find it very productive. At the very least they may have developed habits of working that are very much ingrained and, even if not optimal, are still very familiar and enable fast workflow. The same arguments came up around the new Ribbon UI in Office 2k7. Some people got used to it very quickly and loved it, many, many others simply haven't upgraded since they find it annoying and limiting. I think splitting their userbase like this is not necessarily the best idea either, when they could easily just provide an option for it.
- Oshyan
Innuendo:
Is UI configuration and function an absolute in terms of productivity? Or is it a preference? I happen to think it is very much a preference. Different people work best in different ways.-JavaJones (October 17, 2009, 06:22 PM)
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I agree with that. People do work best in different ways. I'm sure MS conducted focus groups and research that pointed them to changing things the way they did, but you can't please all the people all of the time and unfortunately, you are in the minority segment this go-around.
(if merging of app windows is disabled as I prefer).
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And this is where your problem lies. I really think MS put that mode in almost as an after-thought to keep people happy who weren't going to like the new way of doing things. But like you said, it really doesn't cater to the muscle memory angle of things at all.
This all seems like a step backward in the productivity of the UI to me. But again maybe I'm just using it wrong.
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When I want to take a look at what's going on in my programs I either just slide my mouse across the icons on the taskbar and look at the thumbnails or if I am needing a bigger look Windows-Tab brings up Flip3D. My email program throws up a little ticker tape in the lower right hand corner of my screen to show me how many messages I have, who they are from, and what the subject line is so I don't have to worry about that.
I'm not saying you are using it wrong at all. Your work habits just may not be well-suited at all to the new way of doing things & I am sure you are not alone. Once Windows 7 is officially out and hits its stride I'll be very interested to see what third-party solutions come out to address the needs of people like you.
Tuxman:
Your work habits just may not be well-suited at all to the new way of doing things-Innuendo (October 17, 2009, 11:07 PM)
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I would rather say, the "new way of doing things" does not fit anyone's actual work habits, eh?
I'll be very interested to see what third-party solutions come out to address the needs of people like you.-Innuendo (October 17, 2009, 11:07 PM)
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At least some people know how to make money with Microsoft's mistakes.
Innuendo:
I would rather say, the "new way of doing things" does not fit anyone's actual work habits, eh?-Tuxman (October 17, 2009, 11:11 PM)
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Maybe it is me who is in the minority, but I have fully embraced the new taskbar and start menu in Windows 7. I love the way they work. My taskbar is uncluttered, my start menu works how I want it to....life is good in my corner of the computing universe.
At least some people know how to make money with Microsoft's mistakes.
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Twenty bucks for a start menu replacement? Nice to know that P.T. Barnum was right. I think if it were me and I didn't care for the new Windows 7 start menu & task bar I'd seriously look into a dock solution that replaced the start menu, taskbar, and system tray in one fell swoop for that same amount of money....but that's just me.
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