October 11, 2005
Office 12 UI Is Information Architecture
A follow-on thought from my previous post.
If you watch the video interview with the Office UI lead, you'll hear her talk about making accessible 1,500 commands.
The new ribbon, and its task orientation, is not an interaction design solution, but an information architecture solution. It's actually classic information architecture. What is the most suitable cognitive/mental model when interacting with Office products? (their answer: task-based). What are the terms/labels that will best guide people to discover/find the functionality they desire?
