Microsoft has revealed that Office 12 will feature a radically new user interface. A detailed video tour of the new interface has been made available for download from Microsoft. In addition, the company is now accepting applications for external beta testers for the Office 12 program. To apply, simply enter the invite code PDCOffice, then fill out the application form provided on the site.
The new interface is a striking departure from the traditional Office model. The very earliest versions of Word and Excel used the traditional pull-down menu system popularized by the Macintosh, standardizing on the now-familiar menu order of "File," "Edit," "View," etc. In addition, Office added a way to access common features (such as boldface or italics) by simply clicking a button on the toolbar which was located at the top of the program's window, just below the menu.
This approach worked well for years in multiple versions of Office, but as more and more features started to be added the interface became cluttered and crowded. One toolbar became multiple toolbars, which then fought with each other for precious screen real estate. (I counted no fewer than 20 toolbars in my copy of Office XP which, if enabled all at once from the View menu, created a comical situation where fully half the screen was taken up by toolbars!) In addition, the old technique of pulling down menus one by one to find features was no longer useful. Many features had become buried underneath multiple dialog boxes, and the menus themselves had grown exceedingly long. Microsoft added a feature to auto-hide infrequently used menu items in Office 2000, but this was clearly only a stopgap solution that tended to infuriate some users. Clearly a change was needed, and Office 12 is it.
In Office 12, the traditional menus are gone completely. In their place is what is known as the ribbon, which divides Office features into different tasks, such as Writing, Drawing, Tables, etc, that more accurately reflect what people want to do. When a ribbon element is clicked, the toolbar changes completely into a much more visual representation of all the options available for that type of task. If the user clicks on an existing element in their document (such as a table), the toolbar will automatically switch to display the Table options.
The new interface may be welcomed by some Office users, but people who are used to the old way of doing things may see it as an unnecessary and wasteful change. One thing almost everyone will agree upon, however, is that poor old Clippy will not be missed.
The new interface is a striking departure from the traditional Office model. The very earliest versions of Word and Excel used the traditional pull-down menu system popularized by the Macintosh, standardizing on the now-familiar menu order of "File," "Edit," "View," etc. In addition, Office added a way to access common features (such as boldface or italics) by simply clicking a button on the toolbar which was located at the top of the program's window, just below the menu.
This approach worked well for years in multiple versions of Office, but as more and more features started to be added the interface became cluttered and crowded. One toolbar became multiple toolbars, which then fought with each other for precious screen real estate. (I counted no fewer than 20 toolbars in my copy of Office XP which, if enabled all at once from the View menu, created a comical situation where fully half the screen was taken up by toolbars!) In addition, the old technique of pulling down menus one by one to find features was no longer useful. Many features had become buried underneath multiple dialog boxes, and the menus themselves had grown exceedingly long. Microsoft added a feature to auto-hide infrequently used menu items in Office 2000, but this was clearly only a stopgap solution that tended to infuriate some users. Clearly a change was needed, and Office 12 is it.
In Office 12, the traditional menus are gone completely. In their place is what is known as the ribbon, which divides Office features into different tasks, such as Writing, Drawing, Tables, etc, that more accurately reflect what people want to do. When a ribbon element is clicked, the toolbar changes completely into a much more visual representation of all the options available for that type of task. If the user clicks on an existing element in their document (such as a table), the toolbar will automatically switch to display the Table options.
The new interface may be welcomed by some Office users, but people who are used to the old way of doing things may see it as an unnecessary and wasteful change. One thing almost everyone will agree upon, however, is that poor old Clippy will not be missed.
