GUI Bloopers: Don'ts and Do's for Software Developers and Web Designers
This book cuts right to the core of the most common interface problems, offering real-world advice to the computer software programmer.
TABLE OF CONTENTS GUI Bloopers: Don'ts and Do's for Software Developers and Web Designers
Chapter 9: Software Reviews
Introduction
The bloopers chapters of this book focus on specific common design-mistakes. Examples from real software are used to illustrate many of the bloopers. But most real software applications commit many design bloopers. Though presenting real-world examples of each blooper is useful (the bloopers are, after all, the main subject of this book), it is also be useful to examine some software products in detail, discussing the bloopers they exhibit, as well as aspects of their design that are well done. That is the purpose of this chapter.
I begin by reviewing the installation process for Eudora Pro 4.0 for Macintosh, a popular email program. I then review the user interface of Kodak Picture Disk 1.2 for Windows, an application intended for viewing, editing, and organizing images that have been digitized from photographic film.
9.1 Eudora Pro 4.0 installation
I have a love/hate relationship with Eudora. I use Eudora to read and send email. It is my current favorite email program. But Eudora often tests my faithfulness. As the blues musician would sing if he knew Eudora: "Eudora, oh Eudora, why do you treat me so mean?"
Eudora is the software that provides more examples of user interface bloopers than almost any other software I use (with the possible exception of Microsoft Word). In the other chapters of this book, many of the bloopers are illustrated with examples from Eudora. You may recall my example of the dialog box that says "Excuse me, but Eudora could use some help"...
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