It's always interesting to see an application evolve -- especially something like PowerPoint which I use all the time. However it can be a problem keeping up with changes in the interfaces. I've just got used to the new Office 2007 interface, and another change is staring at me. This time it is Office 2008 on the Mac.
At times like these, it's great to hear input from the team that creates Microsoft Office, and their explanations on why changes are made, and the logic behind these changes.
Nadyne Mielke is User Experience Researcher at Microsoft Macintosh Business Unit, and she explains why Office 2008 will use the new Elements Gallery rather than replicate the Ribbon from Office 2007.
This is how the Elements Gallery might look like (the picture is cropped).
