FM grey GUI [WAS: Windows 7 - Snap]

[Syed Zaeem Hosain (Syed.Hosain@aeris.net)]

Totally, TOTALLY agreed!

I live with it, but detest it. :(

Z

-----Original Message-----
From: framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com [mailto:framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Stuart Rogers
Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2011 7:57 AM
To: framers at lists.frameusers.com; kverma at adobe.com
Subject: FM grey GUI [WAS: Windows 7 - Snap]

On 03/02/2011 10:04 AM, mkopen wrote:

  the new grey Stalin gothic, I mean, Adobe GUI

<rant>

Bang on, Mike.  I'm also addressing this message to Kapil Verma, who was recently introduced as FM's product manager.  The low-contrast, monochrome GUI in FM 9 is not just butt-ugly, it's HARD TO USE.  It GETS IN THE WAY. It PREVENTS ME FROM EASILY ACHIEVING MY GOALS.

There may be a valid argument for low-contrast grey interfaces in programs like Illustrator and Photoshop, where the user's perception of colours in the working document could be adversely influenced by colours and contrasts in the GUI.  But FM is NOT a graphics design program.  The precaution of eliminating colour and contrast in the GUI, if that's what it is, is misplaced, unjustified, and highly counterproductive.

Or if it's a marketing decision, originating in the "imperative" that Adobe products must all look the same to protect "the brand," remember that Henry Ford's user-defying mantra, "Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black" has been discredited as a marketing strategy for an awfully long time.

I strongly recommend, Kapil, that you call together the graphic designers (and marketing "branders") who have obviously had overwhelming influence on this GUI, thank them for their efforts, and politely show them the door.  Then get some USER INTERACTION experts and USABILITY experts on board and set them to undoing the damage that the artsy/marketsy folks have inflicted.

The world (of technical writing) would be a better place.

</rant>

Thanks,

--
Stuart Rogers
Technical Communicator
Phoenix Geophysics Limited
3781 Victoria Park Avenue, Unit 3
Toronto, ON, Canada  M1W 3K5
+1 (416) 491-7340 x 325

http://www.phoenix-geophysics.com
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