An ExCathedra presentation

Design approach

In previous releases of Microsoft Office applications, people used a system of menus, toolbars, task panes, and dialog boxes to get their work done. This system worked well when the applications had a limited number of commands. Now that the programs do so much more, the menus and toolbars system does not work as well.

Too many program features are too hard for many users to find. For this reason, the overriding design goal for the Office Fluent user interface is to make it easier for people to find and use the full range of features these applications provide. In addition, we wanted to preserve an uncluttered workspace that reduces distraction for users so they can spend more time and energy focused on their work.

With these goals in mind, we developed a results-oriented approach that makes it much easier to produce great results using the
2007 Microsoft Office applications. That blue background really helps one focus on the document in question, and there is an overall soft, "soothing" feel to the default appearance that has been missing from Microsoft's Office products.

As for the ribbon itself, let's take a closer look at it as it appears in the "Home" section (or watch a video):

The Interface

Below is a sample screen shot of how your application will look like with implementation of Microsoft Office Ribbon 2007

The ribbon offers a variety of options.

In essence, what the ribbon has done is allow "first tier" access to features and options that might otherwise be buried two, three, maybe even four or more steps down in the previous menu system.

In my use so far this is definitely a plus. In addition, the ribbon's various categories and sections are organized very well and in a fashion that, for me anyway, is quite intuitive. The main categories also make sense.

Instead of "file," or "view," the user now can choose from "home," "insert," "review," and more. For a seasoned power-user this may not seem like a big deal, but for your average user who just wants to get the job done and get off of the computer, I think this is a step forward. One more bit of love for the ribbon's feel: the soft yellow glowing transition effect as one mouses over different options is very nice and adds to that new, soothing Office feel.

I assume the main gripe from potential users at this point will be the amount of space the ribbon takes up. This didn't seem to be a problem in my testing. Granted, I am running at a resolution of 1280x1024 and therefore have more viewing space than others might.

However, while the ribbon is larger than the old menu system, it truly doesn't seem to take up that much more UI real estate.

In addition, the grey-blue color that Microsoft has chosen for the ribbon helps it fade into the background while one is focusing on the document at hand.