Office 2007 - The Menu Bar

[rcarring]

I have Office 2007 Beta 2 installed. Microsoft Publisher has the Office 2003 style menus, Microsoft Word and Excel to name but two have the Office 2007 style ribbon.

First off, there seems to be little point in not having a uniform approach to menus -- if the way forward is to use the ribbon, then the ribbon should be applied to all Office Family products -- this allows users to view the product as a uniform set of programs with the same user gui.

Annoyances:

The ribbon is aimed primarily at the new user, but a legacy user is going to want to use Menus, keyboard shortcuts, and even have some understanding as to what a File | New toolbar button looks like. There is the quick access toolbar, that a user may add commands to and use. My concern is that users familiar with the Office 2003 style interface are going to use the Quick access toolbar to create a toolbar holding all the buttons they are used to. This goes against the whole design strategy.

I believe that Microsoft should let users decide if they want to use a Menu bar or not, that they should allow users to create custom toolbars and as with Windows XP let them decide what user interface works best for them: Xp lets a user use Windows 2000 "Classic" mode and the XP mode.

I changed the desktop interface on my test machine to Classic and Word still built its ribbon and tabs. I haven't tried disabling Themes yet. I may try that later.

What I most miss about the loss of the menu bar is being able to go to menus like Format, Window, Edit and File. I have no idea how to insert an OLE object under Word 2007.

The styles and formatting popup could do with being a bit bigger.

Again, Microsoft have flown in the face of convention and dropped the menu bar....

How does Office 2007 work with accessibility tools for blind people using braille keyboards, or speechwrite hardware? I am sure that these programs will need a menu bar to work properly if at all.

Comments?

[Winston]

You have some good points, as to some apps not having it, i don't quite get it either myself! Even some of the expression suites they're releasing is now starting to use the office 2003 tube toolbar and menus when in fact they could of just moved to ribbon too since it's a totally brand new product.

[Gabriel]

I'm looooooking, searching, looooooking, searching, looooooking, searching, and I can't find......

In Wird 2003 is called Tables and Borders and there is Draw Table and Eraser

Where are that tools in new Word ???

[rcarring]

I'm looooooking, searching, looooooking, searching, looooooking, searching, and I can't find......

In Wird 2003 is called Tables and Borders and there is Draw Table and Eraser

Where are that tools in new Word ???

If you go to this page:

http://officebeta.iponet.net/assistance/as...=HA100744321033

there is a flash movie that tells you where everything has moved to. It's fairly easy to use, and clicking on a menu command will give you the location of that menu command in Word 2007. It will also "play" what you have to do.

Word 2007 -- Insert tab | Table ribbon group | Draw table

[+Fahim S. MVC]

My thoughts:

Consistency for the sake of consistency is not a good idea. If some applications look better with the ribbon then use the ribbon otherwise use menus.

I like the new ribbon style although I am at a loss as to where to find things, but in time I am sure I will be more productive in this new version. I spent 10 minutes searching for find (and replace) in Word on friday (I know ctrl+F would have worked too!).

The problem with a paradigm shift is that power users lose their power. If it is for a greater uplift of functionality and ease of use for everyone, then so be it. A power user knows what the software can do even if they have to relearn how to do it.

[mad_onion]

some apps in office dont need the ribbon, you cant do enough with the app to make it worth it. like in outlook most of those options you only use a few times, really you just want to read your mail and the ribbon takes out more space than normal toolbars so wastes space for mail. the advantages of ribbon for word and such outweigh the problems though.

and the old 2003 keyboard shortcuts still work in 2007 so that isnt an issue.

i found replace instantly. it was at the end of my home ribbon, wasnt it on your loki?

[+Fahim S. MVC]

i found replace instantly. it was at the end of my home ribbon, wasnt it on your loki?

It was, but that wasn't where I expected to find it and therefore didn't see it... and I would consider myself a Word 2003 power user.

To be honest I think that is why Microsoft launched this version of Office as a completely public beta... so the shock of the ribbon concept can slowly bed in...

[scottb]

I'm looooooking, searching, looooooking, searching, looooooking, searching, and I can't find......

In Wird 2003 is called Tables and Borders and there is Draw Table and Eraser

Where are that tools in new Word ???

It really isnt that hard. The ribbon has a much better logical structure to it that the old menu system. I have noticed in this build instead of having the write tab named write they have changed it to Home but it should be named write. Honestly do u really think u need to watch a help video on this? Its so easy to use. Just sit there for an hour or so and ull no where every thing is, thats all it takes. The new ribbon makes Word, Excel etc alot quicker to use in my opinion.

I agree totally that they should get all the products looking the same and im sure they will probs do this by the next big release. Products like Groove are new to the Office system, so i reckon they are just getting the core functionality of it to work and then they will most likely add the ribbon after they have got it all working... it would make sense to do it that way.

On the other hand like some of you have stated its maybe not a good idea to add the ribbon to products that dont need it for example Outlook as it wouldnt improve it... but when you compose a message it uses the ribbon :s probs because its based off of word or summink.

[Gabriel]

If you go to this page:

http://officebeta.iponet.net/assistance/as...=HA100744321033

there is a flash movie that tells you where everything has moved to. It's fairly easy to use, and clicking on a menu command will give you the location of that menu command in Word 2007. It will also "play" what you have to do.

Word 2007 -- Insert tab | Table ribbon group | Draw table

Thank you!

I know where it was my problem, I didn't notice this little arrows... :p

And by the way, I like the movie, thank you, it's interesting way to see the differences :yes:

[libertas83]

My thoughts:

Consistency for the sake of consistency is not a good idea.

I agree, in software design it is bad to have too much consistency because not all UI elements can fit into the same structure as another app. Office is a very good example of how sticking to the old design made it hard to find all the features that were in the product.

The reason MS does not have the old menu system as a choice is because the program is way to complex to have two competing interfaces. This Ribbon UI is one of those risks that has no point of return once you make that choice. Its like someone taking the risk to sky dive but then wants to back out after they have jumped off the plane! There is no turning back.

[Julius Caro]

I think that maybe the other office apps will eventually get the ribbon thing. I like it, and as for consistency goes, I think it can be pretty versatile (ribbon is all contexual anyways, the items will rearrange or you will see a different ribbon tab depending on what you're doing, editing or have selected) so I think other apps will take some benefit of it too