Forum Discussion
Outlook 365 Ribbon, etc
The ribbon on Outlook 365 looks different after a restart this morning. For example rather than a X (cross) for Delete it now a symbol of a rubbish bin. Also other symbols have changed on the ribbon to this style of look and even things like reply purple arrow.
Any idea how to get back to the original classic look?
I find it interesting that this thread has been going since mid 2018, only today have we received the update that gives us the new ribbon icons...though the actual app icons have not changed.
So Microsoft actually says there's nothing to be done against it, that we should accept it as a fact?
It looks terrible and users hate it!
Please bring back the old ribbon!!
What seems to be missing more than anything is a set of testable requirements for a good UI:- Intuitive / Low learning curve (all users)
- Readable (average user)
- Accessible (special needs readable)
- Efficient (ordinary user)
- Customizable (power user)
- Aesthetic (artsy user)
It seems Microsoft catered to the Aesthetic users for "Fresh icon" updates and another recent Ribbon update, while ignoring all the others. Learning curve and efficient would compete for priority in a good update, while all the others should be verboten in every update.
Many on the thread are making mention of "get over it, that's the price of newness". I don't buy that. Others are saying "I hate the new icons". I don't buy that either. What we need is to tell Microsoft in detail what our needs are, in non-emotional terms.
The Quick Access toolbar is basically required for efficiency by me, because the ribbon changes often enough that I don't want to deal with the recurring learning curve of the constantly changing drama of the (non-)standard Ribbon interface. Even at that, the icon art changes enough that from time to time I open Office and can't read my own custom Quick Access toolbar.
Microsoft throws away every other major release of Windows because they don't do good testing to actual user Use Cases. They now have a way with Office 365 subscription processes to ensure everybody is stuck with every crap release, and the only way out is 3rd party...
I highly prize my classic Office 2007 software install. It does everything I want it to and it doesn't kill me with unsolicited updates that force a new learning curve. I use 365 at work because that's what I get... I can get it free at home but don't. Meanwhile, I am constantly upgrading to the latest versions of almost all other software because others respect the user experience far more deeply than it seems Microsoft does.
Sincerely,
-VOICE OF THE CUSTOMER
You are kind and polite person. I appreciate that. I am neither kind nor polite, but can be when I have to. I don't have to, but I want to back you up.
I look it through effectiveness. I am seasoned IT pro and enthusiast, and ex-MCSE and who knows what. I like computers for efficiency. And modern GUI is - utter crap - regarding that. I have to use mouse and aim things on the screen which are almost always all over the screen, click left, click right, look down, press Space, **bleep**, Alt-<key>, **bleep** doesn't work, where is the button, what is this giant thing covering 25% of dialog window, oh, that is the button, ...
This web GUI is awful. It is adjusted to clickety-click generation that is used to have one hand on mouse and other is for scratching genitals and randomly picking some snack, for hours. It is generated by new generation programmers, as someone wrote - "High maintenance, low output" - developers who would die of starvation without copy/pasting totally unchecked and unsecure code from Stackoverflow.
"MMC-style" consoles were The Thing. Fast, eficient, adjusted to both keyboard-people and mouse people, you had everything logical grouped on screen, ...
But hey, it progress.. actually - it is not. I use computers close to 40 years. This crap is getting more and more useless, partially because of total incompetence to protect data, but also because developers are not developers, they are biochemists, or space-engineers, or sewage-cleaners turned to programmers after 6 week free course on Coursera. And they turned to programmers because sallary is great. Passion? Zero points.
Edit: letters
Yes, I've noticed it, too. I thought it was a reflect of capabilities of contemporary Microsoft programmers and program managers - blank surface with one black line on it. Also the level of cheapness - that's how much they are willing to give us back for the money they collect with utter greed.
We've just deployed the October release of Office 365 suite into our Citrix UAT environment to test some fixes for bugs in the Semi-Annual Channel release, and we've discovered this strange behaviour of ribbon icons changing randomly. It would be really good if someone from Microsoft could explain why this is happening. We are looking to roll this out to the wider organisation, but don't want to end up with calls coming into our Service Desk about their ribbon icons changing constantly!
I wish I could hate it too, but despite trying both Monthly and Monthly (Targeted) -- and even Insider Fast -- the new icons have never shown up. Not sure why.
The most I've seen is the "Coming soon" toggle with Insider Fast--for about six weeks. That only related to the Simplified Ribbon (and other changes in Outlook specifically) though, not what I'm talking about above. In recent weeks, even the "Coming soon" toggle disappeared, so everything is back to the way it was (i.e. no Simplified Ribbon).
rpodric wrote:I wish I could hate it too, but despite trying both Monthly and Monthly (Targeted) -- and even Insider Fast -- the new icons have never shown up. Not sure why.
The most I've seen is the "Coming soon" toggle with Insider Fast--for about six weeks. That only related to the Simplified Ribbon (and other changes in Outlook specifically) though, not what I'm talking about above. In recent weeks, even the "Coming soon" toggle disappeared, so everything is back to the way it was (i.e. no Simplified Ribbon).
In complete opposite to yourself now all my Office 365 apps have been updated with this new style ribbon. Took a few weeks for this to happen from the initial Outlook 365 only change.
In the past for things like this, Microsoft would make the old design as a "theme" or "skin". Those that didn't like the new look could go back to the old one. This is the right way to do it - give the end user choice and control.
Keep in mind too that businesses may have documentation on how to do things based on specific ribbon designs. This funky new look is all well and good, but it really is just change for the sake of change, and there are quite a few who do not like this, myself included.
- Well said Saul. Trouble is those who do like it just tell us all to "get used to it". Digital bullying by those who are simply jealous of those who knew how to make good use of the software before and enjoy seeing us have to grasp in the dark just like them to find features that we were using for years that are now hidden.
Microsoft keep doing their best to kill off any muscle memory we develop by taking easy actions away from us and replacing them with two-step actions that require clicking parts of the screen well away from each other in the hope that we eventually stop bothering using those features so that they can quote metrics and take those features away "due to lack of use". This reminded me i have to look through a few guides and update images ;) As much as i agree that the user has to have options, from a developer standpoint it is a pain to support different designs (MS would also have to maintain different documentation for two designs).
I understand it's a pain. So, I would suggest something to modern generation of MS programmers and program managers - please, stop trying to improve things! Just feed the pigs and don't change anything!
D. Bentley....The update they show in the video would be fine. They missed your point and I have the same problem. See picture...
Dale Helvig wrote:D. Bentley....The update they show in the video would be fine. They missed your point and I have the same problem. See picture...
The single-row ribbon bar discussed on the announcement of the "new features" certainly would be good to have the ability to select compared to this wide ribbon bar complete with throwback style symbols, Strange many days later since release they have updated all except not included the ability to choose this option.
My Word, Excel, etc are still the old classic ribbon bar, only Outlook has seen the update applied. certainly is an unusual way to rollout a major change to these products.
Just be glad it's not deleting your files :D Sorry, couldn't resist :)
I have two laptops, sharing an Office subscription, and with all the same settings and programs installed - I keep them in synch. At least I thought they were completely in synch. Both have been updated to the latest version in the last couple of days. One is showing the original ribbon in Outlook, the other is showing the funky new ribbon. I don't know what the new ribbon style adds to the user experience - it looks very retro. I don't like it but no doubt will get used to it. I don't know why my two laptops are now different though.
MS modern quality assurance, I'd guess.
I have another computer with Visio and project and that has the full new ribbon bar across the main office apps of Outlook, word, excel and PowerPoint.
My half in half out version has the new ribbon UI in Outlook and has since 1st Oct 2018, but not for Word, Excel or PowerPoint.
My file menu seems to show a slightly different UI.
It’s annoying because it’s different on different installs using the same account.
I like the new clean UI and would lover to be able to force the change to my main machine.After a relative period of stability with the new Ribbon Icons yesterday my installs all reverted back to the classic 2016 Icons. I say relative, as sometimes it would start with the legacy icons and then switch to the new Icons when the application was restarted.
Now my ribon Icons are back to 2016. This maddening. I do not know which interface I will have whenever I start Office.
Microsoft: How can we fix this. I like the new interface, but I'd like it to stick. I don't like that fact that it keeps changing.
Strange. I have the new ribbon in Outlook, but not in Word, Excel or PowerPoint.
Is this because I also have Visio and Project installed?
However, another PC of mine does have all new Ribbon. Office is reporting same build numbers as of 10/10/2018
I also have Visio and had Visio 2013 (now it's Office 365) and had Project installed as a test a few weeks ago. My colleague has Visio also, but for him only Outlook icons have updated. Although in Word it shows new first page layout..
