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12:44:13 PM |
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Make it look like Outlook. dynamicobjects spaces is just one example of the trend of everyone wanting to make everything look like Outlook. We all complain about how crappy MS software is, how they can't design a humane interface to save their ass, yet we attempt to make every application look like Outlook. At my previous Day Job, we were working on a logistics execution application. It looked like Outlook. Hrm. Outlook's 3-pane design might be roughly useful for applications that mostly just organize data. But, for robust applications that have user interactions that are more complex than pushing bits from one folder to another, please attempt to resist the urge to make it look like Outlook. [bob mcwhirter]
The number one rule of usability is familiarity. Mac-OSX may have a vastly superior UI, but sit a regular Windows user down in front of it and watch their productivity decline. It takes a while to become familiar with new UIs.
Most of the applications I work on are targetted at your average business user who on a daily basis uses not much more than Word, Excel, Outlook and Windows Explorer for performing everyday tasks.
As sad as it sounds, when I'm designing a UI and I have to think about layout, shortcut keys, MDI/SDI, menu structure, skin, tab-order, input widgets, etc - more often than not, the Outlook-way is more desirable than the right-way.
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