Nick Wade

 
Tags


Filed under

microsoft

 
February 20, 2010
 

The Browser Choice Screen

via microsoftontheissues.com

Thanks to a legal agreement between the European Competition Commission and Microsoft, users of Windows will soon be presented with a choice for which browser they want to use. Great news for competition, but what about the users?

For those who are already using WIndows, an automatic download through Windows Update will delete their shortcut to IE and present them with a screen - "An important choice to make: your browser". What? Suddenly and quite intrusively the user must make some sort of informed and life changing decision. Based on what? The next screen presents them with a list of 12 random browsers (of which the first 5 seem to be the most popular). Choose.

How would you choose one browser over another? It's taken me years to understand the subtle differences between them, and I honestly don't think any of this should matter to the sort of user the competition is hoping to pinch through this process. Is any user actually going to take the time to read up on each of the 12 browsers and be capable of making a decision on which browser is best for them?

All of them do the same thing - they allow you to browse the internet.

I suspect many will click the "Select Later" button, some will try out a few names they've heard of like Firefox and Google, and a lot will stick with IE if they were even aware that they were already using it.

None of this is designed to benefit the user - and perhaps deliberately so by Microsoft. But I'm not solely accusing them here. A user shouldn't have to care about any of it. Owning a computer is a never ending experience of what the fuck is going on? It's vastly unfair on people how much they are expected to understand, and yet for however complex any choice may be, the decision is always one click away - "ok", "install", "I agree". The user clicks. Service is resumed again.

The user isn't making an important choice. They don't care. They just want to get on with what they want to do. The browser isn't part of that want, it's just a window to where the important things are.

Loading mentions Retweet
Filed under  //   browsers   chrome   fail   firefox   ie   microsoft   windows  

Comments [0]

February 17, 2010
 

Windows Phone 7 Series

via engadget.com

First impressions are good. The UI is a refreshing change from both the iPhone and the dire previous versions of Windows Mobile. Emphasis seems to be on a fresh clean and uncluttered interface, which surely must win over users. I like the square buttons without fake 3D styling (bevels etc) which are large enough to have dynamic content. The elements are simple and neatly organised, keeping the more distracting aspects to the transitional animations. It will be interesting to see how this develops.

Oh, no cut and paste yet it seems. Apparently not needed!? But they are working with Adobe to try to get Flash working.

Loading mentions Retweet
Filed under  //   microsoft   mobile   ui   win   windows mobile  

Comments [0]

December 22, 2009
 

The Best and Worst Identities of 2009 - Brand New

via underconsideration.com

Easy guess for no.1 worst. Bing's logo is just plain insulting. This stretched out turd of a font actually made me question if there is any importance to design at all. Alongside Windows 7, it's been backed up by perhaps the most embarrassing advertising campaigns the world has ever seen. Microsoft is a fascinating company to try to understand.

Brand New have an odd bunch for the best - SyFy is a hilariously desperate rebrand of Sci Fi, it's a shame to see Nickelodeon dump their splat, and I find Melbourne just a bit too exotic. See what you think about No.1 - it was long overdue.

Loading mentions Retweet
Filed under  //   bing   brand   fail   identity   logo   microsoft   win  

Comments [0]