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Changes
→Ribbon UI
Principle of feature exposure/accessible
Features of the program need to be easily exposed so that a quick visual scan can determine what the program actually does.
There are various levels of "hiding": Here's a partial list of them in order from most exposed to least exposed:
* Toolbar (completely exposed)
* Menu item (exposed by trivial user gesture)
* Submenu item (exposed by somewhat more involved user gesture)
* Dialog box (exposed by explicit user command)
* Secondary dialog box (invoked by button in first dialog box)
* "Advanced user mode" controls -- exposed when user selects "advanced" option
* Scripted functions
Common convention
Use a common set of design patterns and guidelines so that users don't have to relearn how to perform common tasks.
Uncertainty vs. Familiarity