[Libreoffice-bugs] [Bug 135501] Change the default UI (see comment 67)

[bugzilla-daemon at bugs.documentfoundation.org]

https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=135501

--- Comment #73 from Eyal Rozenberg <eyalroz at technion.ac.il> ---
This is the first time I've been made aware of this issue page; too bad more
QA/power users haven't been in on the discussion.

I would like to strongly disagree with the suggestion of making a ribbon
interface the default. This change will be _harmful_ to our users. Why?


The ribbon is an anti-productive UI choice in Microsoft Office:

* It presents less features at once to the user
* It forces more clicks to reach many features (and never less).
* It discourages using the keyboard to locate features (as it either displaces
the menus or confuses us by constituting a secondary menu system).
* It forces arbitrary breaking up of natural categories of features, to
correspond to the ribbons.
* Whatever positive effect it may have in making some buttons bigger - can be
achieved by making button shapes visible again, instead of an entirely flush
toolbar. Clearly-shaped buttons are more "accessible" to be pressed.

No less importantly than this general analysis: Over the years since its
introduction, and as a person who supports MS Office users (not professionally,
but very often) - I have noticed users have a weaker grasp of Office features,
less capacity for adopting the use of additional. features, and more difficulty
in locating features/buttons. 

Thus, ribbons are something we need to wean users off of, to help them become
more proficient and more productive. It will certainly _not_ help if they get
another broken UI, just because they're used to it.

So please, Heiko and others - reconsider and don't make this change.

As you have said in your opening comment:

> a surprisingly large number of users is not aware of the UI variants

Great! That means people easily get used to the menu + toolbars and don't go
looking for how to set up a ribbon.

Let's keep it that way.

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