3 ms·

Many people probably didn't notice that Microsoft Office at that time used custom controls and was a little off from this design. The design was very nice, but

Many people probably didn't notice that Microsoft Office at that time used custom controls and was a little off from this design. The design was very nice, but a bit over complicated. Things looked like a control panel, which maybe makes us feel like pilots, but intimidates most users. The open dialog is a good example. Drop down elements, lists, directory list, label for selected directory. Later iterations fixed this and nowadays apps try to avoid selecting files altogether if possible. Overall, design has improved a lot since then, maybe except for the touch additions.

ErotemeObelus 7y ago
> Things looked like a control panel, which maybe makes us feel like pilots, but intimidates most users. "Everyone has an individual background. Someone may come from Python, someone else may come from Perl, and they may be surprised by different aspects of the language. Then they come up to me and say, 'I was surprised by this feature of the language, so Ruby violates the principle of least surprise.' Wait. Wait. The principle of least surprise is not for you only. The principle of least surprise means principle of least my surprise. And it means the principle of least surprise after you learn Ruby very well. For example, I was a C++ programmer before I started designing Ruby. I programmed in C++ exclusively for two or three years. And after two years of C++ programming, it still surprises me." Modern user interfaces are like C++. They still surprise me after years of using them. Even Apple's OS X and Mac OS surprise me after about two years of using the former and various years of using the latter during grade school. The only user desktop user interface that never surprised me after years of usage was Windows 95. But because the tech industry values newness it's never ever coming back.

3 ms·

Many people probably didn't notice that Microsoft Office at that time used custom controls and was a little off from this design. The design was very nice, but

by veselin 7y ago

ErotemeObelus 7y ago
> Things looked like a control panel, which maybe makes us feel like pilots, but intimidates most users. "Everyone has an individual background. Someone may come from Python, someone else may come from Perl, and they may be surprised by different aspects of the language. Then they come up to me and say, 'I was surprised by this feature of the language, so Ruby violates the principle of least surprise.' Wait. Wait. The principle of least surprise is not for you only. The principle of least surprise means principle of least my surprise. And it means the principle of least surprise after you learn Ruby very well. For example, I was a C++ programmer before I started designing Ruby. I programmed in C++ exclusively for two or three years. And after two years of C++ programming, it still surprises me." Modern user interfaces are like C++. They still surprise me after years of using them. Even Apple's OS X and Mac OS surprise me after about two years of using the former and various years of using the latter during grade school. The only user desktop user interface that never surprised me after years of usage was Windows 95. But because the tech industry values newness it's never ever coming back.