somebody wrote:
> "Invisible" <voi### [at] devnull> wrote in message
> news:49e46b49$1@news.povray.org...
> 
>> I mean, really, how am I supposed to know if I want to add a new account
>> until I've checked what ones are already there? That's just silly. And
>> why do I need a 1-page "wizard" to "help" me perform this highly trivial
>> task? Give me a break...
> 
> Progressive disclosure / wizard based interface are sugar coated versions of
> the very old computer paradigm, so old that I don't know if it has a name.
> If you wanted to enter a matrix, for instance, the text based interface
> would ask you:
> 
> Number of rows? _
> Number of columns? _
> Item (0,0) ? _
> ... etc
> 
> Of course that was due to platform limitations. With windows, there was a
> brief push to minimize modal interactions. Now we are coming full circle.
> 
> Such interfaces are certainly much less work on the programmer (even though

That's debatable. Writing a single dialog with all options on the 
screen, even under tabs is trivial compared to writing a wizard to guide 
the user.

> and work well for novice users, who may not have a clue to what actions are
> available with a flat, discover-actions-on-your-own interface. They can also

This is why... novice users. Most people for some inconceivable reason 
when presented with more than one or two options at a time go into an 
absolute panic. So, they have to simplify and dumb things down. 
Sometimes it helps make things friendly by adding a "cute" character, 
like that damned paper clip.

> be an absolute PITA for advanced users. A good design should be able to
> accomodate either type of interface. MS does that sometimes (user management
> / advanced user management, for instance) although not consistently and not
> in the most fluid manner.

Yes, it does. Because the advanced user knows what they want, and knows 
where to get it. The advanced user desires fewer steps to accomplish a 
task, and doesn't want to be handheld through a 5 step wizard just to 
change which account their e-mail connects to.

So, software developers have a choice. They can either appease the 
masses of novice users who get frightened when presented with a screen 
full of gobbeldygook, or cater to the advanced user who just wants to do 
what they want/need without having to waste time going through a maze of 
pages leading from one step to the next.

Ever tried to use Winzip in Wizard mode? lol.

It would be nice if applications had a checkbox that said "I know what 
I'm doing. Don't try to hold my hand."

I still fail to see how Office 2007's interface is any easier to use. I 
much prefer the pull-down menus rather trying to wallow through dozens 
of toolbars looking for what I need.



-- 
~Mike

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