Internet Explorer 7 Is Unusable: On Unwise Button Orders and Hidden Menus
Jens Meiert, January 15, 2007 / June 16, 2008.
This entry is filed under Usability.
The entire “web standards in Internet Explorer 7” discussion is definitely important, but one other crucial thing is still absolutely under-represented: The bad usability and non-existent ease of use that IE 7 inherits. Why? Basically, because it breaks browser usability conventions:
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The button order differs from any other browser around, even from IE’s predecessors; if you don’t have it mind yet and don’t want to wait until I made sufficient screenshots, look at some other IE screenshots.
It takes too much time to count all the differences with alternative user agents, so let’s stick with the similarities: The “Back” and “Forward” buttons remained in the upper left corner. That’s it. Are these really the only buttons you use surfing the web, no matter what graphical browser you prefer?
Also, Microsoft didn’t just “reorder” usual buttons: They added new buttons and placed them just anywhere. At the same time, some of these buttons cover several functions like the “Home” button that allows you to even fax the current address to your mother-in-law. If they had the goal to clutter the entire interface, well, they succeeded.
Long story short: Even newer and far more unpopular browsers like Flock or Swift don’t shoot themselves and ignore simple usability conventions.
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The second “burner” I need to bring up is the hidden menu or toolbar. The problem’s probably not even that Microsoft decided to hide it, it’s rather that they also hide any clues that there is any menu at all (you can bring it to light by pressing Alt, if I remember correctly). What has been expected? That beginners know all shortcuts how to print or save web pages?
Now that IE 7 obviously causes reactances yet: Were only software developers involved in the entire process? Is wGetGUI’s interface the role model for IE’s next version?
To close my own pick on IE 7:
- Anonymous on IE 7, usability, and consistency;
- Jesper Tverskov on IE 7’s “Page Zoom”;
- John Dvorak on the “Great Microsoft Blunder”.
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Comments
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On January 18, 9:22 CET, Daniel Talsky said:
Occasionally I browse Yahoo Answers for questions I am uniquely in a position to answer. I was astounded by how many people had the question, “Just upgraded to IE7, where did my favorites go?” Like… a couple an hour for awhile there.
