Learning the Landscape: The 2007 Microsoft Office System User Interface
The design of the 2007 Microsoft Office system user interface includes fully a dozen new features that will ultimately make working with your favorite applications less work. If that seems counterintuitive (12 new features will make things easier?), keep reading. This section shows you how each component fits into the overall goal of simplifying and streamlining your options so you always have what you need for your current task.
Tip
| Why do we need an easier interface? When you consider that the original version of Microsoft® Office Word (1.0) had only about 100 commands, and the most recent version, Office Word 2003, includes more than 1500, it’s easy to understand how the sheer number of features has outgrown the original menu system. To find some commands, you have to hunt through menus, multiple submenus, and dialog boxes. The new 2007 release user interface brings the commands to you—with more power, more flexibility, and software that anticipates what you need and when you need it. |