Forum Discussion
The new Outlook search in the title bar is disconnected from the content it searches
This just changed for me within the last few days. Horrible UI choice. The search bar makes all my Outlook folder windows look the same... can't tell which folder the window content is for anymore (or even which application the window belongs to, for that matter, if only the title bar is visible). Completely obliviates the purpose of the title bar, as now no window-identifying description is visible in the title bar. Seriously, all I see in the window title bar is the search input box, even though there is space for a window title.
Tried to provide feedback/vote at user voice (https://outlook.uservoice.com/forums/322590-outlook-2016-for-windows/suggestions/39046513-search-at-the-top-option) but they have shut it down.
I am an IT professional and have designed GUIs myself, but it is hard to fathom what the product managers were thinking when this design decision was made. Maybe they need to read "The Inmates Are Running the Asylum" (seriously, this is a book about interface design). Developers love to overload UIs with functionality, to the point it gets in the way of usability, or to drive the design by what is easiest to implement, rather than what will be most user-friendly.
Just one other observation I meant to make... When I first saw that the search input box was in the title bar, I thought Outlook had malfunctioned, that some kind of bug had manifested itself – that's how discordant this felt. (I don't think I'm alone in having this reaction.) Honestly, it really seems like a hack rather than a well-designed interface change.
SQLEngineer I totally agree! Now how can we get MS to listen to its paying users?
The appropriate term to describe putting the search bar in the title bar is "stupid". The appropriate term to describe not including the ability to have people put it back in the Inbox, that would be "asinine". And, the combination of these items results in a situation that can only be described as "grabasstic".
I'm not sure what designer came up with the idea but put them back on the "Teams" team and put my Search bar back.
