Comments on: On the use of Tabs

By: ross

ross — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:32:01 +0000

Hi Harlan,
Yep, App level, Wkb Level and Sht level would be good, above all else for clarity to none expert users.

I use gridlines option all the time too, so I added it to my toolbar, I guess its hard for MS to get it right all the time, at least we can customise the UI if we really need to.

By: ross

ross — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:23:49 +0000

I was just using XL’s 13 tabs as an example, because I know there are a lot in Excel, my main thrust lay else where.
However, I do think that Excel’s options could have been designed better. It would be hard to re do them. But there are a few issues that annoy me, application level, workbook level and sheet level options are split clearly enough for my liking. I’ve not suggesting 07 is good UI, I agree with Jon, formatting charts is a PITA now.

>>or is that just because o familiairty,
I would say so to some extent. But this thing with familiarity is this, if the new thing is better, you embrac it and move on, if the new thing is not better (or not better enough!) then you don’t, that I think is the key thing.

I bet there are worst GUI’s out there than Office 2007, and just wait until WPF starts hitting the streets in a meaningful way!!!

Good discussion, thanks

By: ross

ross — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 09:58:14 +0000

I don’t use it myself Kevin, but I think it’s a good product, if you where a researcher or something I think you’d love it, it like an advanced scrap book. I saw a demo of it once and the guy searched for Book shop, and it even found a photo of a bookshop, because it had scanned the photo for text (i.e. the signage of the shop in the photo) and matched it – now that’s amazing, no?

By: SARAH

SARAH — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 23:43:37 +0000

I’ve been looking all over for this!

Thanks.

By: Harlan Grove

Harlan Grove — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:11:35 +0000

I think we need to distinguish between tabs in an options dialog and tabs in an operational dialog such as chart elements.

I actually like the Excel 2007 advanced options dialog sheet (not sure of my terminology), but to me better still would be a view mechanism which could change display between default outline hierarchy (what’s displayed already), alphabetical listing without hierarchy (but keeping groups within outline levels or within tabs), and even user-specified hierarchies. The last so I could group workSHEET, workBOOK and application level options separately and put my own most frequently needed options first (in my case, to turn OFF gridlines and to switch calculation mode).

But wouldn’t the MSFT WAY be to provide thumbnails of each tab’s contents on mouse-over?

By: Bob Phillips

Bob Phillips — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:22:36 +0000

I take all the points about bad design and so on, but the number of tabs is not a big issue (for me at least), it is the scattering about that gets me (aka 2007, probably has some of the worst visualisatiuons/GUI I can think of – or is that just because o familiairty, are there really worse out there – shudder!).

Kevin, know what you mean. I know people who swear by it, but I just don’t get it.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 02:21:47 +0000

Tabs down the side. Welcome to MS OneNote 2007. Still not sure what it does.

By: Jon Peltier

Jon Peltier — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 21:15:14 +0000

Bob -

2007 has MORE tabs. Just try formatting the lines and markers in a line chart:

2003: Patterns tab is all you need

2007: SIX tabs: Marker Options, Marker Fill, Line Color, Line Style, Marker Line Color, Marker Line Style

By: ross

ross — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:51:58 +0000

Hi Bob,
Fair question. I don’t actually like 07′s set up, it clumsy in my view, it’s kinda a list box type thing. But I do like RHS navigation better – It’s a smaller step from say a book, of ring binder affair.

There are 2 issue for me with more than 1 row of tabs. 1st, the tab moves from under the mouse, and the tabs are rearrange. That sucks. 2nd, is there’s too many options in the one place. In Excel for example the colour options could be accessed from the formate dialog,and the edit shape dialog(which you can do today!), – anywhere you can change the colours! The chart tab in the chart menu, and so on. I do think its nice to have all this stuff in one place, but I don’t think it would be worst if you put them right next to the feauers that used the settings.

There will always be a place for options, but with a bit of thought, some of these could be put in other places, reducing the number of tabs needed, and making it more intuative to use.

But like I say just my thoughts on the subject!!!

By: Bob Phillips

Bob Phillips — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:18:51 +0000

How does the number of tabs help at all? The options in Excel’s 13 tabs would still be just as many if it were just 3 tabs. At least you have one primary place to look, so not much exploring is required. So you prefer Excel 2007 because it has fewer tabs?