Office 2007 - Two Years Later and I Still Can't Find Anything

H

Howard Swope

I thought I would just have to get used to the new interface. I am sure there was a great deal of usability research done in the creation of the new interface and someone thought this would be easier to use. I figured I would give it a shot. I like to do things faster and easier, less steps to do the same work, removal of repetitive operations, etc. Well two years later and it still takes me twice as long to do things in office 2007 as it did in office 2003. Why? (I'm an idiot is not a constructive response).
 
J

JoAnn Paules

Obviously we can't explain why you haven't been able to learn the new
interface after two years. What resources have you used?

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]
Tech Editor for "Microsoft Publisher 2007 For Dummies"



"Howard Swope" <howard_swopeAThms3DOTcom> wrote in message
I thought I would just have to get used to the new interface. I am sure
there was a great deal of usability research done in the creation of the new
interface and someone thought this would be easier to use. I figured I would
give it a shot. I like to do things faster and easier, less steps to do the
same work, removal of repetitive operations, etc. Well two years later and
it still takes me twice as long to do things in office 2007 as it did in
office 2003. Why? (I'm an idiot is not a constructive response).
 
H

Howard Swope

Usually whenever I am learning a piece of software. I take my knowledge of
the particular domain and then just cruise through the menus to find the
feature I want. However, there are no more menus. I guess I am finding all
the pictures cumbersome. They say a picture paints a thousand words, which
is nice if you are trying to evoke emotion, but not if you are trying to
find a command. All the pictures are mixed up with words and are different
sizes. It is quite chaotic and breaks any flow my eyes had over the
available commands.

Just because something is more visually pleasing doesn't make it more
useful.
 
E

Earle Horton

I suggest going back to 2003. Are there any new features in 2007 that you actually use, or is it all ribbon?

I personally find Office 2007 useful for the ability to change the user interface language and get proofing tools for different languages, but that is all.

Earle
"Howard Swope" <howard_swopeAThms3DOTcom> wrote in message I thought I would just have to get used to the new interface. I am sure there was a great deal of usability research done in the creation of the new interface and someone thought this would be easier to use. I figured I would give it a shot. I like to do things faster and easier, less steps to do the same work, removal of repetitive operations, etc. Well two years later and it still takes me twice as long to do things in office 2007 as it did in office 2003. Why? (I'm an idiot is not a constructive response).
 
J

JoAnn Paules

Have you tried the interactive tutorials on Microsoft's site? I've found
them very helpful.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]
Tech Editor for "Microsoft Publisher 2007 For Dummies"



Howard Swope said:
Usually whenever I am learning a piece of software. I take my knowledge of
the particular domain and then just cruise through the menus to find the
feature I want. However, there are no more menus. I guess I am finding all
the pictures cumbersome. They say a picture paints a thousand words, which
is nice if you are trying to evoke emotion, but not if you are trying to
find a command. All the pictures are mixed up with words and are different
sizes. It is quite chaotic and breaks any flow my eyes had over the
available commands.

Just because something is more visually pleasing doesn't make it more
useful.

JoAnn Paules said:
Obviously we can't explain why you haven't been able to learn the new
interface after two years. What resources have you used?

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]
Tech Editor for "Microsoft Publisher 2007 For Dummies"



"Howard Swope" <howard_swopeAThms3DOTcom> wrote in message
I thought I would just have to get used to the new interface. I am sure
there was a great deal of usability research done in the creation of the
new interface and someone thought this would be easier to use. I figured
I would give it a shot. I like to do things faster and easier, less steps
to do the same work, removal of repetitive operations, etc. Well two
years later and it still takes me twice as long to do things in office
2007 as it did in office 2003. Why? (I'm an idiot is not a constructive
response).
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
H

Howard Swope

I've been using Office 2007 at home since it came out, but the office is only upgrading from 2003 on Monday. So I have been kind of straddling both versions for a while. (Maybe that is my problem).

Hopefully one day it will just click.
I suggest going back to 2003. Are there any new features in 2007 that you actually use, or is it all ribbon?

I personally find Office 2007 useful for the ability to change the user interface language and get proofing tools for different languages, but that is all.

Earle
"Howard Swope" <howard_swopeAThms3DOTcom> wrote in message I thought I would just have to get used to the new interface. I am sure there was a great deal of usability research done in the creation of the new interface and someone thought this would be easier to use. I figured I would give it a shot. I like to do things faster and easier, less steps to do the same work, removal of repetitive operations, etc. Well two years later and it still takes me twice as long to do things in office 2007 as it did in office 2003. Why? (I'm an idiot is not a constructive response).
 
R

Roger

Howard, You'r not an idiot. You just have to accept the idea that with the
push of Office 2007 the target was people that had no experience with Office
2003, Office 97 or even Ver 4.
2007 has a completely new interface requiring you to:
1. Forget all you knew about simple drop-down lists
2. Learn a completely new process of thought and different logic of what
action was related to which command
3. Be prepared for repeated program crashes and bog slow response from some
of these improved applications. (1:45 to open an Excel file in 2007 that 2003
can manage in 15 sec or so)

Don't forget if you are a new user of this "Improved" application you won't
know that things could be much better.
 
E

Echo S

I find that I'm slower on both when I work in both 2007 and 2003. But when I
spend a lot of consecutive time in one or the other, my speed increases.
Therefore, I'd say you're on the right track when you wonder about
straddling both versions.

Also, I find that certain tasks take me longer than others because I can't
develop any muscle memory for them. For example, you can insert a shape from
at least three different tabs in PowerPoint. And the Shapes menu is in a
different place (and sometimes looks different depending on my resolution --
sometimes it's a gallery, sometimes it's a button) on each of them. So
whenever I want to insert a shape, I have to stop and *think* and figure out
where I am and then find the tool, which completely interrupts my workflow.

Same thing happens with fill and line colors, the Arrange tools, etc.

New Slide is another. Every past version of PPT, we've used Insert | Slide
from the menu. Now New Slide is on the Home tab, not on the Insert tab. I'll
BE on the Home tab (staring at the New Slide button) and want to insert a
new slide, so I click on the Insert tab, because that's where I intuitively
think the tool should be. Then I have to click back on the Home tab. Every
single time. Grrrr.

So what I've done to help me with these particular issues is to customize my
Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) and move it below the Ribbon so I get a
screen's-width of tools. I've added the Shapes gallery and the New Slide
group and the Alignment tools dropdown, and a bunch of other stuff. It's
always there, and the tools are always in the same place. I don't have to
stop and think about them. This has helped my productivity tremendously.

Here's how to customize your QAT:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA102481161033.aspx Hopefully it will
help you a bit.

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx


"Howard Swope" <howard_swopeAThms3DOTcom> wrote in message
I've been using Office 2007 at home since it came out, but the office is
only upgrading from 2003 on Monday. So I have been kind of straddling both
versions for a while. (Maybe that is my problem).

Hopefully one day it will just click.
I suggest going back to 2003. Are there any new features in 2007 that you
actually use, or is it all ribbon?

I personally find Office 2007 useful for the ability to change the user
interface language and get proofing tools for different languages, but that
is all.

Earle
"Howard Swope" <howard_swopeAThms3DOTcom> wrote in message
I thought I would just have to get used to the new interface. I am sure
there was a great deal of usability research done in the creation of the new
interface and someone thought this would be easier to use. I figured I would
give it a shot. I like to do things faster and easier, less steps to do the
same work, removal of repetitive operations, etc. Well two years later and
it still takes me twice as long to do things in office 2007 as it did in
office 2003. Why? (I'm an idiot is not a constructive response).
 
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