user interface

Mike Elgan has a good article in ComputerWorld, Why products fail.  He makes a point that many usability tests really miss the entire point of what people really want in a product.

When you ask someone what they really want, they won't tell you the truth because they're not aware of the truth.

Both users and product designers alike talk about user interface (UI) consistency, usability and simplicity, and system attributes like performance and stability. What's missing is that these attributes are means to an end. The real issue is always the user's physiological feeling of being in control.

In the article, he later goes on to support his argument. I think he is right, true usability is all about control. Something for all of us to ponder about the next time we participate in a usability exercise for our content management system.

Not long ago I wrote that KDE 4 might produce enough changes to its look and feel to help Linux become more Mac-like.  At the time, Windows Vista seemed to be trying to move in the same direction.  Interestingly, someone has noted that Windows 7 now appears to be moving towards Linux's direction with the Windows desktop looking more like KDE 3.5.

The review features screenshots and I must say, even though it has not convinced me, Windows 7 is a step forward from Vista, at least as far as the GUI is concerned.  Aside from the removal of some annoying Vista bells and whistles and the new Peek and Snap window-management enhancements, it is difficult not to notice the resemblance between Microsoft’s much-touted revamped Aero and the excellent, now 3-years old, KDE 3.5.x.

Personally, I think Microsoft, Apple, and the Linux desktop developers have run out of ideas.  Any new innovation for these desktops seem to be ideas borrowed and improved from each other's desktops.  This is one of the reasons why I have lost my "wow" when it comes to operating systems.  In 2007, I wrote:

Earlier today, Matthew Mullenweg announced the official release of Wordpress 2.7.  This new version of Wordpress is a dandy with significant improvements made to the Wordpress administrative interface and dashboard.  The choices you now have to customizing our blogging workflow is almost endless.

While we could start reading off from the changelogs for all the new features in Wordpress 2.7, It's probably just as easy to show you the video.

As we mentioned more than a month ago, Firefox 3 is expected to sport a new look. Some of the more popular online magazines are starting to take notice and helping to fan some excitement on the new look. On a blog at Wired a Firefox 3 related post can be found, Catch a Glimpse of Firefox 3's Sleek, Sexy New Digs.

Some of the changes planned for the final release of Firefox 3 include a complete visual makeover with platform-specific skins designed to integrate the look of Firefox into your OS of choice.

Alex Faaborg, one the interface designers for Firefox, has been posting mock-ups and soliciting feedback from the community for some time (see our previous coverage) and he’s back with a series of wireframe sketches that show some of the progress in the interface redesign.

The blog post focuses on the visuals for the Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, but also directs users to an Ars Technica article for those interested in Linux. The article of interest is A first look at the Firefox 3 visual refresh for Linux.