Do you use ribbons in the applications you develop?
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Just curious, based on Chris' rant. So, do you actually develop applications that have a ribbon bar, or do you use the old fashioned menu and toolbars? Do your customers demand that you create a UI with a ribbon so they feel like they are in the "modern" world? Marc
I use menus and toolbars in my for-work and freeware apps. I expect most users will find ribbons harder to navigate than multiple toolbars. Admittedly, all my apps have a single toolbar. /ravi
My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com
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I've never had the misfortune of using crappy Windows ME, although I've heard stories.
See if you can crack this: fb29a481781fe9b3fb8de57cda45fbef
The unofficial awesome history of Code Project's Bob! "People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid."
There was one good thing with ME. System restore. It's almost like as if they knew how much it would be needed.
"When did ignorance become a point of view" - Dilbert
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Just curious, based on Chris' rant. So, do you actually develop applications that have a ribbon bar, or do you use the old fashioned menu and toolbars? Do your customers demand that you create a UI with a ribbon so they feel like they are in the "modern" world? Marc
No, but this might be a very good survey question though; and whoever answers yes to that mighty Maunder will summon evil hamsters on them.
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Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
Alternatively, try consuming vast quantities of alcohol
Ah, so you are responsible for the birth of DD. Wait until he finds out you're his father. Nooooooo!
You are mistaking me for the former Jedi. I am the other one.
I have CDO, it's OCD with the letters in the right order; just as they ruddy well should be
Forgive your enemies - it messes with their heads
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You are mistaking me for the former Jedi. I am the other one.
I have CDO, it's OCD with the letters in the right order; just as they ruddy well should be
Forgive your enemies - it messes with their heads
Yes, you are not the Jedi I am looking for. I will move along.
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Just curious, based on Chris' rant. So, do you actually develop applications that have a ribbon bar, or do you use the old fashioned menu and toolbars? Do your customers demand that you create a UI with a ribbon so they feel like they are in the "modern" world? Marc
I haven't done before, but would consider it depending on how much I think the app is suited for it and if I think the customers would be more familiar with and prefer it. I've not started a single new app (other than small utilities that have had barely any UI) since I first saw the ribbon though and moving from menus and toolbars to a ribbon in existing apps is very low on the priority list even if the ribbon was to be favored so haven't really thought about it much. This is for apps I develop myself at home. In the workplace at everywhere I've worked the customers typically don't even like toolbars and menubars let alone ribbons. They always seem to want to have big buttons all over the place instead (often drawing up the forms themselves and usually very inconsistent with other forms in the same app but they're the customer I guess).
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Just curious, based on Chris' rant. So, do you actually develop applications that have a ribbon bar, or do you use the old fashioned menu and toolbars? Do your customers demand that you create a UI with a ribbon so they feel like they are in the "modern" world? Marc
I'd happily create a configurable toolbar holder that looked like a ribbon.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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Just curious, based on Chris' rant. So, do you actually develop applications that have a ribbon bar, or do you use the old fashioned menu and toolbars? Do your customers demand that you create a UI with a ribbon so they feel like they are in the "modern" world? Marc
Yes, even for web applications.
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It is indeed, and your task for this evening is to work out which one. I'll give you a clue; it's a Vietnam movie.
I have CDO, it's OCD with the letters in the right order; just as they ruddy well should be
Forgive your enemies - it messes with their heads
I googled "You don't know man. You weren't there. I remember Sarge saying to me" and it comes up with, Black Hawk Down, Band of Brothers, and Saving Private Ryan :laugh:
See if you can crack this: fb29a481781fe9b3fb8de57cda45fbef
The unofficial awesome history of Code Project's Bob! "People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid."
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Yes, even for web applications.
Nemanja Trifunovic wrote:
Yes, even for web applications.
So, since you're the one contrarian in the replies so far, why do you use ribbons? Marc
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Nemanja Trifunovic wrote:
Yes, even for web applications.
So, since you're the one contrarian in the replies so far, why do you use ribbons? Marc
Marc Clifton wrote:
why do you use ribbons?
Because I am told so :) Seriously, I work for a big software company - it is other people's job to design UI. I design and write code.
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Marc Clifton wrote:
why do you use ribbons?
Because I am told so :) Seriously, I work for a big software company - it is other people's job to design UI. I design and write code.
Nemanja Trifunovic wrote:
it is other people's job to design UI.
Ah! :) Marc
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Just curious, based on Chris' rant. So, do you actually develop applications that have a ribbon bar, or do you use the old fashioned menu and toolbars? Do your customers demand that you create a UI with a ribbon so they feel like they are in the "modern" world? Marc
I have and would do so again. I've found that what people don't like about ribbons is that there are too many options present which makes it more difficult to use. That's not a problem with UI design, not ribbons per-se. As far as I'm concerned a ribbon is a single-tier menu where each menu item has it's own toolbar. It doesn't have to be much different than the way things were done before with a menu and a toolbar, except now, with multiple toolbars, things can be presented in a way that looks simpler. Unfortunately most of the ribbons I've seen haven't been treated that way and the developers dump every bit of funtionality into them as they can. Not a great way to develop any UI, including a ribbon. Cheers, Drew. [edited to take out the "not"]
modified on Wednesday, December 1, 2010 7:34 PM
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Yes, yes and yes. We are development whores, and will do anything for the clients money. This explains why gathering user requirements feels like lap dancing a fat, sweaty bloke.
I have CDO, it's OCD with the letters in the right order; just as they ruddy well should be
Forgive your enemies - it messes with their heads
Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
gathering user requirements feels like lap dancing a fat, sweaty bloke.
I hesitate to ask just how you know this, and I really don't think I want to know. I'm never going to get to sleep tonight with that image in my head... :sigh:
Will Rogers never met me.
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Just curious, based on Chris' rant. So, do you actually develop applications that have a ribbon bar, or do you use the old fashioned menu and toolbars? Do your customers demand that you create a UI with a ribbon so they feel like they are in the "modern" world? Marc
In my experience Ribbon does improve the usability of an application. It definitely lives up to the promise of making obscure program features evident. For instance, after implementing ribbon in an application people praised me about all the "new" features in the application (rather than the ribbon). In reality all the "new" features in the application were already there in the previous versions. The only problem with ribbon is that it does not make the keyboard shortcuts evident.
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Just curious, based on Chris' rant. So, do you actually develop applications that have a ribbon bar, or do you use the old fashioned menu and toolbars? Do your customers demand that you create a UI with a ribbon so they feel like they are in the "modern" world? Marc
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Just curious, based on Chris' rant. So, do you actually develop applications that have a ribbon bar, or do you use the old fashioned menu and toolbars? Do your customers demand that you create a UI with a ribbon so they feel like they are in the "modern" world? Marc
Most of my clients find "ribbon bars" confusing space-hogs.
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Yes, you are not the Jedi I am looking for. I will move along.
wow! the Force works very well here! :omg:
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In my experience Ribbon does improve the usability of an application. It definitely lives up to the promise of making obscure program features evident. For instance, after implementing ribbon in an application people praised me about all the "new" features in the application (rather than the ribbon). In reality all the "new" features in the application were already there in the previous versions. The only problem with ribbon is that it does not make the keyboard shortcuts evident.
The only implementation of ribbons that I liked was in SolidWorks. They also kept the menus. But you can completely change the ribbons and what buttons are on what ribbons. I don't think it would be that hard to implement either. I know that adding your own ribbon and buttons through the SolidWorks API is 1000 times easier than adding buttons to Excel through the its API.
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Just curious, based on Chris' rant. So, do you actually develop applications that have a ribbon bar, or do you use the old fashioned menu and toolbars? Do your customers demand that you create a UI with a ribbon so they feel like they are in the "modern" world? Marc
I never cared for the ribbon myself, that's why I've stayed with Office2003 (which I keep under lock and key). In my small development business I have even standardized on O2003 because of it's relative simplicity and mandated that my partners do the same. It just works. As for the software we develop, we're deliberate about keeping the interface as SIMPLE as possible which means NO ribbon. Some screens have a simple toolbar, others a few menus but even there we keep the UI as conservative as possible so the user can really focus on the data they're dealing with. -Max
modified on Thursday, December 2, 2010 9:07 AM