Re: Look And Feel (Guidelines
Re: Look And Feel (Guidelines
- Subject: Re: Look And Feel (Guidelines
- From: Ryan McGann <email@hidden>
- Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2001 13:45:17 -0700
I just have to offer my two cents on this subject because I'm a big fan
of interface customization, an issue which Apple is not a fan of it
seems.
Customers may see Aqua and want it. Many people like it, but not all
customers do. More impressive to customers is choice. Look at Windows
XP. It's interface is very cute and Mac OS X like, but it has several
"skins" which offer the user choices. Some customers may find other
skins more compelling than others, just as some Mac users may find OS 9
more appealing than OS X. Apple can't please everybody, no matter how
hard they try.
Apple seems to want Aqua to be the final choice for Mac OS X users,
which turns off many users who prefer choice, and other users who just
find Aqua unpleasing. I myself like Aqua, but would like to change it
every once in a while for a change, just as I like to change my desktop
pattern. Does Apple think their standard Aqua blue desktop picture is
what every likes? Of course not, that's why we can change it. Does Apple
think Blue iMacs are the only color that people like? Or for that
matter, do the Industrial Design guys think the iMac is the only Apple
computer people want?
Apple skinned QuickTime because it recognized the importance of user's
needs. Why should media players be different? I can understand the need
for standard guidelines such as the location of the Apple menu, standard
looking UI widgets; some of the Kaleidoscope schemes confuse me more
than Windows. But c'mon guys, does anybody honestly believe EVERYBODY
loves Aqua?
Choice is good, and it's because of the freedom of choice I use a Mac.
Perhaps Apple should "eat its own dog food" and Think Different.
No it is not. The visual appearance of Mac OS X is to our system
software what our industrial design is to our hardware. Customers see it
and
want it.
People who use Macintosh computers want all their applications-whether
they're spreadsheets, word-processors, Email and Internet browsers,
accounting products, or design tools-to have the consistency, intuitive
design, and ease of use that's characteristic of Macintosh software.
Altering the appearance of an application on Mac OS X through skins, or
similar mechanisms, isn't recommended since it affects the visual
consistency users expect. Interface elements that look different from
what users are accustomed to can cause feelings of uncertainty in users
not
sure of what will happen when they interact with a non-standard interface
element and can affect the usability of an application since standard
visual
cues have been changed.