Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Since we're all complaining about the Ribbon instead of talking about Office itself, my biggest issue with the Ribbon UI is that it's difficult for my mind to parse. There are numerous icons at two or three different sizes, along multiple horizontal lines, some with text captions and others with only tooltips (and sometimes just text without an icon), and several different style containers with large-format text in them. It's visually complex and I have a hard time finding what I'm looking for. Further complicating the problem is that there are multiple application-width toolbars to cycle through when looking for an option, so rather than having to keep one mental map of the application's UI in my head, I have to keep several maps, since every ribbon tab is also laid out differently.

This certainly may not be a problem for everyone, but it does hamper the usability of the interface for me. I do actually have similar issues with Apple's iWork Inspector window, though that's far less pronounced than my problems with the Ribbon because 1) iWork doesn't have a million features all clamoring for screen real-estate, and 2) iWork's common tasks and options are in a consistently-presented toolbar at the top of the document, while complex customization actions are tucked away inside of logically-grouped tabs in the floating Inspector window.