Metro Style Apps…is the Mouse Out?
Dana brings me down to earth with her insight into keyboard commands for later versions of Office. For example, when reviewing my understanding of the new Metro Style design principles, I used the changes in Office as an example of making work harder.
I have been using Microsoft Excel since 1985….yes, ’85. It was the hottest thing on the Macintosh back in those days…and I was good at it. I think It’s kinda funny that the computer who really sold us on the mouse managed to put that Apple key to such good use.
Most of the keystrokes I learned decades ago have been maintained until the release of Office 2007. Instead of Alt-W allowing you to choose another window, now I have to do Alt-W-W. Also, the visual queues of keystrokes are no longer present unless you simply press the Alt key…then you get balloon like indications of the menu option you might pick, instead of underlining the hot key for each menu item. How was I to know I simply had to press the Alt key in order to see what used to be plain as day in previous versions.
Well, I rant on, moving away from the topic at hand. As you look at the metro style app design principles you quickly recognize movement away from standard input devices. Terms like gestures were not relevant prior to devices that excluded a mouse and keyboard. It would seem, as I read the specs, that there is higher priority given to those kinds of user interfaces than the typical input devices we’re used to today.
I’m wondering if I’m just getting too old to change. So far most of those devices I don’t find efficient; at least for the kind of work I do day in and out. I can’t imagine writing this editorial on a tablet using an onscreen keyboard. I don’t spend most of my time browsing and looking for content…I’m creating it. And no gesture I know makes that any faster. So now I get to wait an extra 3-4 seconds for my word processor to open up in order to display some eye candy telling me that my word processor is starting up?
Reader responses:
Dana:
Hi there Ben,
It’s difficult for me to get through your article when the right out of the gate you make statements that aren’t true. I myself am a keyboard user rather than mousing, so I am surprised by your statements.
In Excel, your commands you gave as an example still work. Alt W W (1 or 2 or etc) still work. In fact, when you press alt it shows you exactly what keys to press to access the menu.
Have you reviewed the shortcut key help files from Office? Ctrl F6 also switches between windows.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/keyboard-shortcuts-in-excel-2010-HP010342494.aspx
I can understand that the specifics of the commands is not what you are writing about, it’s the principal of using the keyboard. However, it is hard to relate or consume what you are writing about when you say things to make yourself appear to not be the strong keyboard you claim to be.
Just my opinion –
I don’t know…am I reading too much into the design specs? Drop me an email and share your thoughts at btaylor@sswug.org.
Cheers,
Ben
$$SWYNK$$
Featured White Paper(s)
SharePoint 2010 Enables the Enterprise
Written by KnowledgeLake
read more)
Featured Script
sp_lock2
This stored procedure can be used instead of sp_lock stored procedure to return more detailed locking view (it can return us… (read more)