Engineered Business Solutions
3311 Richmond Ave., Suite 317
Houston, TX 77098
Phone: 713.522.3480
Toll Free: 800.524.9095
Fax: 713.524.0871
Email: contactus@ebsit.com

Microsoft Office 2007 the New User Interface

As more and more features and functionality have been added to the Office applications over time, it's gotten harder for people to find the things they want to do with the products. For example, Microsoft Word 1.0 only had about 100 commands, and by using the menus you could see everything you could do. Today, Microsoft Office Word 2003 has over 1,500 commands, many of which can be difficult to find. That element of "discoverability" is just one of the key issues addressed by the new User Interface.*

The Ribbon

The traditional menus and toolbars have been replaced by the Ribbon — a new device that presents commands organized into a set of tabs. The tabs on the Ribbon display the commands that are most relevant for each of the task areas in the applications. For example, in Office Word 2007, the tabs group commands for activities such as inserting objects like pictures and tables, doing page layout, working with references, doing mailings, and reviewing.

Office Excel 2007 has a similar set of tabs that make sense for spreadsheet work including tabs for working with formulas, managing data, and reviewing.

These tabs simplify accessing application features because they organize the commands in a way that corresponds directly to the tasks people perform in these applications.
Take a look at the "Ribbon" in Word 2007

Contextual Tabs

Certain sets of commands are only relevant when objects of a particular type are being edited. For example, the commands for editing a chart are not relevant until a chart appears in a spreadsheet and the user is focusing on modifying it. In current versions of Microsoft Office applications, these commands can be difficult to find. In Office Excel 2007, clicking on a chart causes a contextual tab to appear with commands used for chart editing. Contextual tabs only appear when they are needed and make it much easier to find and use the commands needed for the operation at hand.

For help implementing Office 2007 in your organization call EBS at 713-522-3480 or toll free 800-295-9095 or Email us.

The new Microsoft Office 2007 User Interface Demo
Test drive the 2007 Microsoft Office
More About the Hot New Features in Office 2007

*Text excerpted from Microsoft.com