Feedback on our new ribbon design

We need your feedback on our new design for making maximum use of the Office Ribbon. Please note that this exists only in Office 2007 & 2010 so if you are using an earlier version of Office, you will not be able to test this.

Download at: http://www.windwardreports.com/downloads/beta/New_Ribbon_UI/ (if you need a license key, I posted one below in a comment).

We have two different approaches and both are in the ribbon. Please try both and let us know which you prefer. In addition, any suggestions as to how best to improve either approach, or a suggested different approach, is very welcome.

Please post all comments, suggestions, etc. in my blog post at Windward Wrocks so that others can read your suggestions. Discussion usually leads to even better suggestions.

Approach 1:

All tag editing is in this one tab. You select a tag from the gallery and it inserts a tag at that location. Once the tag is inserted, or anytime the caret is on a tag, you will then get the tag properties in the ribbon. You may also click the little box at any time to get the tag builder.

Approach 2:

With this approach you have two tabs. First is the above tab where every tag is listed directly in the ribbon. You can click a button in the top half and it will insert a tag of that type. Or you can click the drop down and for the Wizard choice, it will bring up the tag builder.

Once you have created a tag, or the caret is on a tag, you then get a second tab in the ribbon. This is similar to when you create or are in a table. When you are not on a tag, this additional tab goes away.

Your Evaluation

Please try each approach for at least 30 minutes so you have a good feel for what is smoothest/easiest on an ongoing basis. Also, please note the next/previous arrows at the far right in all the ribbons – that will walk you through all of your tags.

Excel Users

Special note for Excel users. Excel does not provide a means to determine where the caret is inside a cell. (In fact, when you are editing a cell most Excel functionality is turned off – take a look at the standard Excel buttons in the ribbon.) We track a pseudo location as you click next/previous. But if you then go edit a cell or change the cell selection yourself, we have to start over at the first tag in the cell presently selected.

This is why we have to ask you where in a cell to edit/insert a tag.

Thank You

Thank you for taking the time to look at this new beta and give us your feedback. If you wish to discuss these changes directly, please call or email me.

Thanks – dave

David Thielen
CTO/founder
david@windward.net
303-499-2544 x1185

Comments

[Heidi Anderson]

My vote: Approach 1, hands (and feet) down. *Way* too much clutter w/ approach 2.

Some minor comments:
Move the next and previous icons from the AutoTag tab's Report menu to the Tags menu. They make more sense there.
Maybe put the Output icon on the Report Manager tab? Seems more natural to group it with other tools for running reports, like Schedule Reports in Max.

A side note: As a business user, I LOVE the empty tag option. It makes it even easier for me to design a template and hand it off to the techie, who will know exactly where I want data to go.

How 'bout if the empty tag has some sort of text box where the biz user could enter what they want in the tag ("Hey dev, please put in here the company logo, piece of data, date report is generated, etc."), and you could hover over the tag in the template to see the text.

[TR]

1) Previous/Next needs to be stationary. Moving between multiple tags with multiple clicks and having the Prev/Next buttons
moving on each click becomes very annoying, very quickly. Moving left next to the Wizard button would solve this or moving
all the way to the left. I know conceptually how you step through the process of creating a tag that this is a direct
contradiction but I think this needs to be changed.

2) AutoTag (2) Layout:
a. All the tags presented at once could be confusing and intimidating to the user
b. Too many clicks to accomplish the same things AutoTag(1) does.
i. Click to insert tag.
ii. Click to edit tag, wait for tag editor to load
iii. Click additional tab to access select.

3) AutoTag(1) Layout:
a. Select on the main screen is great for editing existing tags.
b. Can you have when a user clicks on a tag that it takes you to the other tab? Otherwise I think our users will be confused
on where to go to edit a tag’s attributes.
c. Took me awhile to find the “Report Manager” tab. I think on the main bar you need something that link to the data source
connection window so the user knows where to get started. You could title it something different on the main page and
possible black out all buttons until an active data source is setup. ---Scratch that, just found the “New Template
Wizard” This button definitely is what is needed one the main AutoTag tab.
d. Alignment of the attributes text boxes, looks a little unfinished.
e. forEach tag was allowed to be created without prompting for a variable name.
f. I assume the save happens anytime you click off a tag? Or is there a need for a save tag button?
g. Data tree will not allow select of variables, only root data source items
h. Is there any way to do grouping of the tags on the fly-out menu like we have in the tag editor? The tags look scattered on
that fly-out and the grouping made it a lot more intuitive for users to find they tag they needed more efficiently.

My vote is for AutoTag(1) as less tabs are better and you are not shuffling between multiple tabs all the time. It is neatly laid out, non intimidating and everything you need is right on the same tab.