My OperaMoving Targets
Thursday, August 25, 2011 2:20:08 AM
Just a really quick post about interface design. Specifically moving targets. This is something that I absolutely detest. It's annoying. Slows me down. And while scavenger hunting can be fun, wasting my time isn't. A few examples come to mind. First is the new tab icon in Opera. It's always on the right of all your existing tabs. So when you open a new tab, the "new tab" icon moves further to the right. So I have to go hunting for it. It's never at the same location physically on the screen. Luckily, I can customize it and everything is fine until I upgrade to a new version and it resets my menu and navigation bar.
One other example is about the changes in Windows Explorer. Not Internet Explorer, but the file manager. There are two things wrong here. One is that the "parent directory" button is gone (the up arrow). Second is the way you're supposed to navigate is through what is called breadcrumb navigation. This has been available on UNIX type Operating Systems for a very long time. I didn't care for it then. Still don't care for it now. Again, it's a moving target. It's definitely not any easier than clicking the "parent directory" as many times as needed. Why Microsoft saw it fit to remove the "parent directory" when there was absolutely no need to do so is beyond me. Instead, they force you to use and interface that is a moving target. Forces you to waste time and hunt down exactly where it is you're supposed to click for what you want. Instead, I could click the up arrow and be done with it. I've never EVER had this issue ever cross my mind before. I took it for granted.
Now, there is a nifty tool that you can install if you want that up arrow in the file manager. It's called Classic Shell. There are three tools in it. You only need to install the shell add-on if you want the up arrow. The rest are to make your start menu work like in XP. The Win7 start menu is still there by holding "shift". There are other odds and ends and some IE stuff too. Check it out. It's great.
So that's my little rant of the day. If you think implementing a UI design where you have moving targets for the user and aren't leaving any alternatives, please just hit yourself over the head for every second that you are continuing on this quest. Hopefully, by the end of it, you will understand the pain users are going through.
One other example is about the changes in Windows Explorer. Not Internet Explorer, but the file manager. There are two things wrong here. One is that the "parent directory" button is gone (the up arrow). Second is the way you're supposed to navigate is through what is called breadcrumb navigation. This has been available on UNIX type Operating Systems for a very long time. I didn't care for it then. Still don't care for it now. Again, it's a moving target. It's definitely not any easier than clicking the "parent directory" as many times as needed. Why Microsoft saw it fit to remove the "parent directory" when there was absolutely no need to do so is beyond me. Instead, they force you to use and interface that is a moving target. Forces you to waste time and hunt down exactly where it is you're supposed to click for what you want. Instead, I could click the up arrow and be done with it. I've never EVER had this issue ever cross my mind before. I took it for granted.
Now, there is a nifty tool that you can install if you want that up arrow in the file manager. It's called Classic Shell. There are three tools in it. You only need to install the shell add-on if you want the up arrow. The rest are to make your start menu work like in XP. The Win7 start menu is still there by holding "shift". There are other odds and ends and some IE stuff too. Check it out. It's great.
So that's my little rant of the day. If you think implementing a UI design where you have moving targets for the user and aren't leaving any alternatives, please just hit yourself over the head for every second that you are continuing on this quest. Hopefully, by the end of it, you will understand the pain users are going through.
