Who is implementing Windows 7 and Office 2007?

Play to their strengths (the software that is!)

Hi Karen,

I was selected as an early adopter of these platforms by our IT department for two reasons; I have an IT background so didn’t get freaked out by some of the behaviour in the pre-release of Win7, but also because I can provide advice to IT when they come to roll out company wide from an instructional point of view.

Very simply my advice would be to instruct people how to take advantage of the intuitive nature of these systems rather than simply showing them the difference between them and their previous versions.

Microsoft have come a very long way (especially with these releases) from Windows 95 and Office 97. Then we had to learn where everything was, practice and reference cards helped you remember where all the different functions you used were accessible from. Was it in the Tools or the Edit Menu, or under Options in the Advanced tab?

By contrast the newer platforms make it much easier to find and apply the tools you require (in most cases!). However, your users will be ‘used’ to the old system and will complain when they realise there is no longer a Tools menu or an Edit menu. People will often try to find out how to switch on the ‘classic’ interface so they don’t have to worry about learning a new one. Alternatively you could produce training material that simply shows people where to find the functions they used most frequently in the older version.

With Office 2007 I’ve found and used many extra pieces of functionality across the Office suite that I never knew existed (but have been reliably informed that they were always there!) simply because it is clearly displayed right next to other related tools. Win 7 (I never went down the Vista route) has made my life much easier and quicker to find and launch all the programs and documents I need. The challenge here was trying to break the habit of going into the Start menu and hunting around until I found what I was looking for!

I would imagine you would experience an immediate drop in productivity for many groups in the organisation but with an improved longterm increase providing you have guided your users to take advantage of the new tools and interfaces that make life easier.

I hope this helps.

ps. I’m a Linux fan but Microsoft are finally starting to up their game around interface design.

One Response

User deleted says:

November 16, 2009 at 11:11 am

Play to their strengths (the software that is!)

Hi Karen,

I was selected as an early adopter of these platforms by our IT department for two reasons; I have an IT background so didn’t get freaked out by some of the behaviour in the pre-release of Win7, but also because I can provide advice to IT when they come to roll out company wide from an instructional point of view.

Very simply my advice would be to instruct people how to take advantage of the intuitive nature of these systems rather than simply showing them the difference between them and their previous versions.

Microsoft have come a very long way (especially with these releases) from Windows 95 and Office 97. Then we had to learn where everything was, practice and reference cards helped you remember where all the different functions you used were accessible from. Was it in the Tools or the Edit Menu, or under Options in the Advanced tab?

By contrast the newer platforms make it much easier to find and apply the tools you require (in most cases!). However, your users will be ‘used’ to the old system and will complain when they realise there is no longer a Tools menu or an Edit menu. People will often try to find out how to switch on the ‘classic’ interface so they don’t have to worry about learning a new one. Alternatively you could produce training material that simply shows people where to find the functions they used most frequently in the older version.

With Office 2007 I’ve found and used many extra pieces of functionality across the Office suite that I never knew existed (but have been reliably informed that they were always there!) simply because it is clearly displayed right next to other related tools. Win 7 (I never went down the Vista route) has made my life much easier and quicker to find and launch all the programs and documents I need. The challenge here was trying to break the habit of going into the Start menu and hunting around until I found what I was looking for!

I would imagine you would experience an immediate drop in productivity for many groups in the organisation but with an improved longterm increase providing you have guided your users to take advantage of the new tools and interfaces that make life easier.

I hope this helps.

ps. I’m a Linux fan but Microsoft are finally starting to up their game around interface design.