Adobe Systems wants to transform its flagship Photoshop software with an interface customized to the task at hand, a potentially radical revamp for software whose power today is hidden behind hundreds of menu options. A new user interface will help Photoshop become "everything you need, nothing you don't," said Photoshop product manager John Nack, describing aspirations for the Photoshop overhaul on his blog Monday. "We must make Photoshop dramatically more configurable," Nack said. "Presenting the same user experience to a photographer as we do to a radiologist, as to a Web designer, as to a prepress guy, is kind of absurd... With the power of customizability, we can present solutions via task-oriented workspaces," Nack said.
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Member since:2005-07-06
The idea is that the ribbon changes to meet the task that you are currently doing. So if you making a table, then the options for tables are prominent.
This is instead of just having your favorite/most used functions cluttering up the bar, which can get cluttered very quickly.
A usability study doesn't really make sense until someone actually gets comfortable with the new UI.
A couple of studies that can be done is seeing how quickly someone can pick up the old-style UI compared to picking up the new style UI.
Or how quickly someone can work being comfortable with both UIs.
People just simply have to learn/train on the new way to use the given application.
Member since:2006-06-03
This is instead of just having your favorite/most used functions cluttering up the bar.
That's right, having your favourite/most used functions readily available is really not such a great idea. If you hide all the functions that poeple find most useful, they they will have an excuse to lower their productivity, and get paid more for doing the same ammount of work.
Member since:
2005-11-12
I love the classic mode idea. Let's hope they keep that option around but I doubt it will exist. This seems to be the new trend for flagship software: revamp the UI when you can't figure out what new features to add to sell a new version. The other day I was watching someone give a powerpoint presentation and they were hunting for the fullscreen slideshow button on the ribbon. It appeared more awkward for the person to use. I wonder how much usability studies truly factor into these decisions. Is it really that much easier to use?