I HAD and IMPLEMENTED this idea back in '95...
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From the newletter: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_rise_of_contextual_user_interfaces.php[^] I was never able to get people on board with this concept. After using the Ribbons in Word 2007, I'm kind of relieved it wasn't adopted, because I have to sit there and scratch my head to figure out where something is. The problem with contextual UI's, from my perspective, is that it's hard to remember what context you happened to be in to get the option that you might want. When I was first implementing them back in the day, I was the developer, so knew where everything was and it seemed like a no-brainer to me. Most people got lost in the app because they weren't presented with the list of options, and the app seemed to be "changing" all the time. I still have that tingle of "this is cool", but unless it's implemented correctly or if it's a really simple app, it just doesn't work for everyone. Any thoughts on this?
- S 50 cups of coffee and you know it's on!
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From the newletter: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_rise_of_contextual_user_interfaces.php[^] I was never able to get people on board with this concept. After using the Ribbons in Word 2007, I'm kind of relieved it wasn't adopted, because I have to sit there and scratch my head to figure out where something is. The problem with contextual UI's, from my perspective, is that it's hard to remember what context you happened to be in to get the option that you might want. When I was first implementing them back in the day, I was the developer, so knew where everything was and it seemed like a no-brainer to me. Most people got lost in the app because they weren't presented with the list of options, and the app seemed to be "changing" all the time. I still have that tingle of "this is cool", but unless it's implemented correctly or if it's a really simple app, it just doesn't work for everyone. Any thoughts on this?
- S 50 cups of coffee and you know it's on!
I still can't stand the toolbars changing on me. I just want a fixed toolbar. This jumping and dancing on the screen and add-ins changing options its ridiculous. The saddest part is I see some non-technical users who have there entire screen filled up with tool button, etc because they can't figure out how to turn them off. I hate the ribbons even worse, btw. Contextual to be done right has to be predictable. And so far it is far from predictable for me.
Need a C# Consultant? I'm available.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know. -- Ernest Hemingway -
I still can't stand the toolbars changing on me. I just want a fixed toolbar. This jumping and dancing on the screen and add-ins changing options its ridiculous. The saddest part is I see some non-technical users who have there entire screen filled up with tool button, etc because they can't figure out how to turn them off. I hate the ribbons even worse, btw. Contextual to be done right has to be predictable. And so far it is far from predictable for me.
Need a C# Consultant? I'm available.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know. -- Ernest HemingwayHyperspace is best left for the millennium falcon. :-) After reading the article further (I made a snap judgement, I'm prone to that), their context UI is different than what I was thinking of. They've developed right click context menus, without having to right click - bravo! My idea of a context UI is that the whole app changes based on the content, not just menus and toolbars. I guess my vision is more of a contentual UI :-)
- S 50 cups of coffee and you know it's on!
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I still can't stand the toolbars changing on me. I just want a fixed toolbar. This jumping and dancing on the screen and add-ins changing options its ridiculous. The saddest part is I see some non-technical users who have there entire screen filled up with tool button, etc because they can't figure out how to turn them off. I hate the ribbons even worse, btw. Contextual to be done right has to be predictable. And so far it is far from predictable for me.
Need a C# Consultant? I'm available.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know. -- Ernest HemingwayEnnis Ray Lynch, Jr. wrote:
The saddest part is I see some non-technical users who have there entire screen filled up with tool button, etc because they can't figure out how to turn them off.
That, sure is sad. I'll add the instant messengers, video/audio drivers, this, that and icons of other crapware (real player, for instance) cramming the tray area of the non-technical users. Also, there will be approximately 237 apps that will load along with windows on their computers. :| I just hate any software which gets into my system tray, adds an explorer/IE toolbar, or boots with Windows without asking my permission. It wouldn't take me a lot of time to disable it from startup or from getting into the tray; at worst case, i can just uninstall it. But the non-technical, the poor user may not know it!
Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself. - Cicero .·´¯`·->Rajesh<-·´¯`·. Codeproject.com: Visual C++ MVP
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From the newletter: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_rise_of_contextual_user_interfaces.php[^] I was never able to get people on board with this concept. After using the Ribbons in Word 2007, I'm kind of relieved it wasn't adopted, because I have to sit there and scratch my head to figure out where something is. The problem with contextual UI's, from my perspective, is that it's hard to remember what context you happened to be in to get the option that you might want. When I was first implementing them back in the day, I was the developer, so knew where everything was and it seemed like a no-brainer to me. Most people got lost in the app because they weren't presented with the list of options, and the app seemed to be "changing" all the time. I still have that tingle of "this is cool", but unless it's implemented correctly or if it's a really simple app, it just doesn't work for everyone. Any thoughts on this?
- S 50 cups of coffee and you know it's on!
I think some of the issues come back to the old debate of whether to hide disabled menu items and icons or to just disable them. I prefer a fixed list of options and disabling the invalid ones. I don't like constantly changing stuff at all because I find it too distracting. Yes, I know that this isn't as cool but I don't care about that.
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I think some of the issues come back to the old debate of whether to hide disabled menu items and icons or to just disable them. I prefer a fixed list of options and disabling the invalid ones. I don't like constantly changing stuff at all because I find it too distracting. Yes, I know that this isn't as cool but I don't care about that.
I agree. I'd rather know what my options are, whether I can do them or not. The out of sight, out of mind principle doesn't work for me, because I'm a very spatial person (spatial, not special :-)), so once I see something my brain knows where it should be.
- S 50 cups of coffee and you know it's on!
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From the newletter: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_rise_of_contextual_user_interfaces.php[^] I was never able to get people on board with this concept. After using the Ribbons in Word 2007, I'm kind of relieved it wasn't adopted, because I have to sit there and scratch my head to figure out where something is. The problem with contextual UI's, from my perspective, is that it's hard to remember what context you happened to be in to get the option that you might want. When I was first implementing them back in the day, I was the developer, so knew where everything was and it seemed like a no-brainer to me. Most people got lost in the app because they weren't presented with the list of options, and the app seemed to be "changing" all the time. I still have that tingle of "this is cool", but unless it's implemented correctly or if it's a really simple app, it just doesn't work for everyone. Any thoughts on this?
- S 50 cups of coffee and you know it's on!
My impression is that it works great for some, while it fails miserably for others. I am one of the latter. Maybe it's a non-security example for Bruce Schneiers "judge systems by the way they fail" rule. IMO Menus only a good advantage in the "pass" case: everything is always at the same place (more or less). Moreover, they work much better in the "fail" case: you can search systematically, and support can tell you exact steps (Do you actually tell people to "click on the round thingy in the top left corner"?).
Steve Echols wrote:
but unless it's implemented correctly
I guess that's a big point. In defense of contextual user interfaces: We don't have as much experience with them what is "correctly". Also, they do help against UI overload.
We are a big screwed up dysfunctional psychotic happy family - some more screwed up, others more happy, but everybody's psychotic joint venture definition of CP
blog: TDD - the Aha! | Linkify!| FoldWithUs! | sighist -
I still can't stand the toolbars changing on me. I just want a fixed toolbar. This jumping and dancing on the screen and add-ins changing options its ridiculous. The saddest part is I see some non-technical users who have there entire screen filled up with tool button, etc because they can't figure out how to turn them off. I hate the ribbons even worse, btw. Contextual to be done right has to be predictable. And so far it is far from predictable for me.
Need a C# Consultant? I'm available.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know. -- Ernest HemingwayEnnis Ray Lynch, Jr. wrote:
The saddest part is I see some non-technical users who have there entire screen filled up with tool button, etc because they can't figure out how to turn them off.
:laugh: Now that is funny! I also notice that, the guy who needs a manual to click a hyperlink will have the most astounding array of IE toolbars; half the screen.
Semicolons: The number one seller of ostomy bags world wide. - dan neely
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Ennis Ray Lynch, Jr. wrote:
The saddest part is I see some non-technical users who have there entire screen filled up with tool button, etc because they can't figure out how to turn them off.
That, sure is sad. I'll add the instant messengers, video/audio drivers, this, that and icons of other crapware (real player, for instance) cramming the tray area of the non-technical users. Also, there will be approximately 237 apps that will load along with windows on their computers. :| I just hate any software which gets into my system tray, adds an explorer/IE toolbar, or boots with Windows without asking my permission. It wouldn't take me a lot of time to disable it from startup or from getting into the tray; at worst case, i can just uninstall it. But the non-technical, the poor user may not know it!
Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself. - Cicero .·´¯`·->Rajesh<-·´¯`·. Codeproject.com: Visual C++ MVP
Rajesh R Subramanian wrote:
without asking my permission
I would suggest WinPatrol from http://www.winpatrol.com/[^]. If some application does something in the background secretly, it can not escape the sniff of the Watch Dog and trigger him against that. WinPatrol is a truly a nice gentle pet on patrol for the system.
Vasudevan Deepak Kumar Personal Homepage
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A pessimist sees only the dark side of the clouds, and mopes; a philosopher sees both sides, and shrugs; an optimist doesn't see the clouds at all - he's walking on them. --Leonard Louis Levinson -
From the newletter: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_rise_of_contextual_user_interfaces.php[^] I was never able to get people on board with this concept. After using the Ribbons in Word 2007, I'm kind of relieved it wasn't adopted, because I have to sit there and scratch my head to figure out where something is. The problem with contextual UI's, from my perspective, is that it's hard to remember what context you happened to be in to get the option that you might want. When I was first implementing them back in the day, I was the developer, so knew where everything was and it seemed like a no-brainer to me. Most people got lost in the app because they weren't presented with the list of options, and the app seemed to be "changing" all the time. I still have that tingle of "this is cool", but unless it's implemented correctly or if it's a really simple app, it just doesn't work for everyone. Any thoughts on this?
- S 50 cups of coffee and you know it's on!
I do prefer to know where my buttons and menus are. I do customise toolbars to include those buttons i require on a regular basis, but does it all boil down to usage. If a product manages to stay around long enough without being upgraded/updated then users can become familiar through repetition and understand what triggers certain menu items not to be available or to appear. for me...user education is a tough thing and no'one actually sits you down in front of a website and says this is how you use OUR website..it's simple THERE IT IS! use it! can't you see what we were thinking.
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I still can't stand the toolbars changing on me. I just want a fixed toolbar. This jumping and dancing on the screen and add-ins changing options its ridiculous. The saddest part is I see some non-technical users who have there entire screen filled up with tool button, etc because they can't figure out how to turn them off. I hate the ribbons even worse, btw. Contextual to be done right has to be predictable. And so far it is far from predictable for me.
Need a C# Consultant? I'm available.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know. -- Ernest HemingwayI agree on that. It can be extremely irritating to have a desired option not displayed and then having to trace back by tryal and error. This tinkering may cost some time and may also do a little damage to whatever the application is supposed to accomplish. I would prefer at least some kind of fixed interface where all options are shown and some hint to why a certain option is currently not available and how to change that.
A while ago he asked me what he should have printed on my business cards. I said 'Wizard'. I read books which nobody else understand. Then I do something which nobody understands. After that the computer does something which nobody understands. When asked, I say things about the results which nobody understand. But everybody expects miracles from me on a regular basis. Looks to me like the classical definition of a wizard.
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From the newletter: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_rise_of_contextual_user_interfaces.php[^] I was never able to get people on board with this concept. After using the Ribbons in Word 2007, I'm kind of relieved it wasn't adopted, because I have to sit there and scratch my head to figure out where something is. The problem with contextual UI's, from my perspective, is that it's hard to remember what context you happened to be in to get the option that you might want. When I was first implementing them back in the day, I was the developer, so knew where everything was and it seemed like a no-brainer to me. Most people got lost in the app because they weren't presented with the list of options, and the app seemed to be "changing" all the time. I still have that tingle of "this is cool", but unless it's implemented correctly or if it's a really simple app, it just doesn't work for everyone. Any thoughts on this?
- S 50 cups of coffee and you know it's on!
The problem contextual UI's is that you can only anticipate what the user might want to do in the current context, and you can never predict what context the user might want to be in next. For example, I may be in the middle of a paragraph and I want to break the paragraph in two and insert a table. Context change! And worse, if your app has a lot of functionality, the functionality for a particular context may be so large as to be almost impossible to express in a confined area, such as the ribbon, especially when using space wasting graphics. And lastly, people do actually learn menu shortcuts and menu item placement. The pretty graphics might wow the newbie, but the experienced user finds them getting in the way and taking up valuable space in the context the user really wants to be in: viewing his/her document. Marc
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From the newletter: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_rise_of_contextual_user_interfaces.php[^] I was never able to get people on board with this concept. After using the Ribbons in Word 2007, I'm kind of relieved it wasn't adopted, because I have to sit there and scratch my head to figure out where something is. The problem with contextual UI's, from my perspective, is that it's hard to remember what context you happened to be in to get the option that you might want. When I was first implementing them back in the day, I was the developer, so knew where everything was and it seemed like a no-brainer to me. Most people got lost in the app because they weren't presented with the list of options, and the app seemed to be "changing" all the time. I still have that tingle of "this is cool", but unless it's implemented correctly or if it's a really simple app, it just doesn't work for everyone. Any thoughts on this?
- S 50 cups of coffee and you know it's on!
Yep, I'm an "Always show full menus" kind of guy too. I haven't really tried Word 2007 yet, but my wife's laptop has it and even she doesn't like it, so it must be a bad idea.
