2 ms·
I think it should be mentioned that during this era, the whole idea of a GUI was still a relatively new concept to most people. It had been less than a decade s
by russellbeattie 4y ago
I think it should be mentioned that during this era, the whole idea of a GUI was still a relatively new concept to most people. It had been less than a decade since the Mac popularized the idea. It's akin to how long it took for cars to standardize on the accelerator, brake and clutch configuration. It didn't happen overnight. When I went to college in the early 90s, most of my fellow students had dedicated word processors or, less commonly, DOS PCs (and one Amiga), as an example of what was the norm. The only reason I used a Mac was that I was in the design program, where Desktop Publishing was experiencing its heyday. But I could never have afforded one.
In 2022, the idea of an average person not understanding what a mouse is for is almost inconceivable. But in 1992-1994 when "Chicago" was being developed? The majority of the planet still hadn't seen one, let alone used one. Discoverability wasn't a nice-to-have, it was paramount to Windows 95's success.
Amazingly, Gates and company realized this and put a ton of effort into UX research as a result. They could have easily dropped the ball transitioning from 3.1's GUI (think Windows 8 as a counter example), so they deserve a lot of credit for getting it right.
- int_19h 4y agoInterestingly, Windows 3.1 came with a 7-minute tutorial activated from the installer, about half of which is on using the mouse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXKEnYQu-oM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXKEnYQu-oM If I remember correctly, this part wasn't there in Windows 95, so presumably they decided that users mostly don't need it anymore.
- russellbeattie 4y agoHah! This reminds me of an old adage when teaching people how to use the mouse. Don't ever mention the right mouse button until the absolute last moment, if ever. Because from the second you mention it, every time you say, "OK, now click the [window, button, menu, etc.]" they will instantly ask, "Right or left button?". Every. Single. Time.