Comments on: Excel 2010 User Interface: “Is there any chance it will improve?” http://exceluser.com/blog/178/excel-2010-user-interface-is-there-any-chance-it-will-improve.html Insight for business users of Microsoft Excel Sat, 29 Oct 2011 04:37:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Charley Kyd http://exceluser.com/blog/178/excel-2010-user-interface-is-there-any-chance-it-will-improve.html/comment-page-1#comment-14 Charley Kyd Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:19:18 +0000 http://exceluser.com/blog/?p=178#comment-14 Jon, Here's a test that someone ought to do: a. Put ten decipherable icons in a dialog and ask users to click on specific functions from a random list that repeats the functions five times each. b. Put the function text in a menu and have users click from the same random list. c. Mix icons and function text in a horizontal array much like a Ribbon, and have them click as instructed. Finally, compare the average click times and accuracy under each of the three conditions. I suspect the menu would win and the Ribbon-like pattern would be last. But that's only a guess. Charley Jon,

Here’s a test that someone ought to do:

a. Put ten decipherable icons in a dialog and ask users to click on specific functions from a random list that repeats the functions five times each.
b. Put the function text in a menu and have users click from the same random list.
c. Mix icons and function text in a horizontal array much like a Ribbon, and have them click as instructed.

Finally, compare the average click times and accuracy under each of the three conditions.

I suspect the menu would win and the Ribbon-like pattern would be last. But that’s only a guess.

Charley

]]> By: Jon Peltier http://exceluser.com/blog/178/excel-2010-user-interface-is-there-any-chance-it-will-improve.html/comment-page-1#comment-13 Jon Peltier Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:54:25 +0000 http://exceluser.com/blog/?p=178#comment-13 The icons are very attractive, yet a priori I cannot decipher what they may indicate. Actually, a few are obvious, like Paste Formulas, Paste Transpose, Paste Link, Paste Picture, and Paste Picture Link. Five of 14, not a great ratio. I don't know why they couldn't have kept the list of text labels, and decorate them if they really had to with the icons. The icons are very attractive, yet a priori I cannot decipher what they may indicate. Actually, a few are obvious, like Paste Formulas, Paste Transpose, Paste Link, Paste Picture, and Paste Picture Link. Five of 14, not a great ratio. I don’t know why they couldn’t have kept the list of text labels, and decorate them if they really had to with the icons.

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