Comments on: Microsoft and User Experience http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2007/01/19/microsoft-and-user-experience/ Adaptive Path Blog Mon, 08 Sep 2008 00:40:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Sam Ladner http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2007/01/19/microsoft-and-user-experience/#comment-41165 Sam Ladner Tue, 30 Jan 2007 16:19:13 +0000 http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2007/01/19/microsoft-and-user-experience/#comment-41165 Definitely and interesting post. I've been reading what I now consider to be the Design Bible recently (see URL below). What is clear from a rigorous approach to design management is that the end user is constitutive of the entire product construction process. Perhaps the product manager understood that point well, but it is interesting why the presentation seemed to equate feature-itis with good UX. Has Microsoft really changed its tune? To be determined. But I don't see them as on the forefront of design sociology. http://www.amazon.com/Design-Management-Using-Corporate-Innovation/dp/1581152833/sr=8-2/qid=1170173788/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/105-5055868-0784409?ie=UTF8&s=books Definitely and interesting post. I’ve been reading what I now consider to be the Design Bible recently (see URL below).

What is clear from a rigorous approach to design management is that the end user is constitutive of the entire product construction process. Perhaps the product manager understood that point well, but it is interesting why the presentation seemed to equate feature-itis with good UX.

Has Microsoft really changed its tune? To be determined. But I don’t see them as on the forefront of design sociology.

http://www.amazon.com/Design-Management-Using-Corporate-Innovation/dp/1581152833/sr=8-2/qid=1170173788/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/105-5055868-0784409?ie=UTF8&s=books

]]> By: Putting people first http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2007/01/19/microsoft-and-user-experience/#comment-40341 Putting people first Sun, 28 Jan 2007 12:13:46 +0000 http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2007/01/19/microsoft-and-user-experience/#comment-40341 <strong>Microsoft and user experience</strong> David Verba, director of technology at Adaptive Path, reflects - with some frustration - on how Microsoft interprets user experience. According to Verba, “Microsoft still thinks more bells and whistles means richer experience and richer experi... Microsoft and user experience

David Verba, director of technology at Adaptive Path, reflects - with some frustration - on how Microsoft interprets user experience.
According to Verba, “Microsoft still thinks more bells and whistles means richer experience and richer experi…

]]> By: Jonathan http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2007/01/19/microsoft-and-user-experience/#comment-39644 Jonathan Fri, 26 Jan 2007 11:12:08 +0000 http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2007/01/19/microsoft-and-user-experience/#comment-39644 I realise this probably isn't intended to be a hugely analytical post, but you say Microsoft "... understand that developers and designers need to work more closely together. " I would say that it's more than just an "understanding." Any analysis of Expression without taking into account XAML is doomed to miss the point. Put simply, XAML may allow UI designers to export their designs for use by developers using Visual Studio, who can then put meat on those designs and then export their XAML back to the UI designer for further UI work. It would be hard to overstate the effect that will have on the UI design process. If anyone thinks Expression is the M$ Dreamweaver, or WPF is their answer to Flash, then they have utterly missed the point. The fact that MS can't communicate this in any effective way is irrelevant. I realise this probably isn’t intended to be a hugely analytical post, but you say Microsoft “… understand that developers and designers need to work more closely together. ” I would say that it’s more than just an “understanding.” Any analysis of Expression without taking into account XAML is doomed to miss the point. Put simply, XAML may allow UI designers to export their designs for use by developers using Visual Studio, who can then put meat on those designs and then export their XAML back to the UI designer for further UI work. It would be hard to overstate the effect that will have on the UI design process. If anyone thinks Expression is the M$ Dreamweaver, or WPF is their answer to Flash, then they have utterly missed the point. The fact that MS can’t communicate this in any effective way is irrelevant.

]]> By: D. Grattan http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2007/01/19/microsoft-and-user-experience/#comment-38260 D. Grattan Sun, 21 Jan 2007 07:39:11 +0000 http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2007/01/19/microsoft-and-user-experience/#comment-38260 I enjoyed your post very much...but weren't you cold...no one is mentioning the artic temperature in the hall. Are things so bad at Microsoft that cutbacks start with heat? Presenters used good humor to overcome glitches and the suite seems to have been well received. Being a neophyte, I have to say the experience was daunting and Expressions reminds me a bit of dreamweaver. Will I miss Front Page? Or will I be using it in five years? I enjoyed your post very much…but weren’t you cold…no one is mentioning the artic temperature in the hall. Are things so bad at Microsoft that cutbacks start with heat?

Presenters used good humor to overcome glitches and the suite seems to have been well received. Being a neophyte, I have to say the experience was daunting and Expressions reminds me a bit of dreamweaver. Will I miss Front Page? Or will I be using it in five years?

]]> By: Steve Portigal http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2007/01/19/microsoft-and-user-experience/#comment-37919 Steve Portigal Sat, 20 Jan 2007 01:15:23 +0000 http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2007/01/19/microsoft-and-user-experience/#comment-37919 Nice post, David. I blogged my bad experience artifact <a href="http://www.portigal.com/blog/expression-demo/" rel="nofollow">here</a>. To slightly clarify, I didn't have a bad experience, but the experience of the artifact was not a good one. Microsoft is obviously trying, but all cylinders are not firing, or firing in the right sequence. I also think their event was targeting different types of folks. I was trying not to claw my eyes out while they went through lines of HTML code (and something called XAML? Zamil? ZAML?) on big screens in front of 300 people. Not exactly exciting. The thing I noticed that struck closest to your observations was their idea of good, better, and best user experiences. The example of the best user experience was a "what-if" site for Burton with flying logos, a big picture, a running movie, and ads tied to the film's content. There was no experience design, there was technology that enabled richer media experiences to be designed. Tail, meet dog. But hey, Chris Bernard did cite Dan Saffer on seams in one his presentations, so there ya go! Nice post, David. I blogged my bad experience artifact here. To slightly clarify, I didn’t have a bad experience, but the experience of the artifact was not a good one.

Microsoft is obviously trying, but all cylinders are not firing, or firing in the right sequence.

I also think their event was targeting different types of folks. I was trying not to claw my eyes out while they went through lines of HTML code (and something called XAML? Zamil? ZAML?) on big screens in front of 300 people. Not exactly exciting.

The thing I noticed that struck closest to your observations was their idea of good, better, and best user experiences. The example of the best user experience was a “what-if” site for Burton with flying logos, a big picture, a running movie, and ads tied to the film’s content. There was no experience design, there was technology that enabled richer media experiences to be designed. Tail, meet dog.

But hey, Chris Bernard did cite Dan Saffer on seams in one his presentations, so there ya go!

]]>