Does anyone ever use the Ribbon Control? [closed]

Question

The ribbon control seems to be the rage now that Windows 7 is here.

It occurred to me from this link for a ribbon control here on Codeplex...

What I want to know is, is there any real benefit in shifting the UI paradigm to use the Ribbon Control purely 'to move with the times or keep abreast of development trends'?

I just cannot see the point in doing so, unless your application that you are working on has surpassed Microsoft's Word in terms of having a bucket-load of menu options..

Using the Ribbon Control, there is bound to be some end-users kicking up and screaming wanting their old UI back...

Thoroughfare

Should this question be moved to ux.stackexchange.com ? – Patroon

Answer 1

Most applications will not have need for the Ribbon UI patern/design.

However, that doesn't mean that most developers won't put the Ribbon in their applications.

While there might not be a justification from a UI design point of view to put the Ribbon into an application, there is a point to be made about using an existing UI pattern/design that people are familiar with in order to make navigation and use of that UI easier due to that familiarity.

Given the ubiquity of the Office line of products, it's not surprizing that the Ribbon is one of the most duplicated UI designs/patterns. Before that, the old Office command bars were the most duplicated (and they are even exposed in .NET through the ToolStrip class in the System.Windows.Forms namespace) and you saw many apps that came out in the better part of the last decade use that UI pattern.

So while I won't say that the application of the Ribbon is appropriate for every type of application, all of its benefits should be taken into account when considering it, meaning both the organizational features as well as the familiarity features.

There is an excellent presentation given by Jenson Harris at MIX08 titled "The Story of the Ribbon" which chronicles the need for a new approach in Office due to the bloat of menus and items, as well as how they thought of the problem and how they ultimately came up with the Ribbon. The video is about 90 minutes, but is essential if you want to understand why the Ribbon exists in the form it does today, as well as when it is and is not appropriate to use it.

Onanism

+1 from me...will MS push this ribbon control as a standard ui guideline, maybe not now but in the future? It looks more like a fad to me as its a 'work-around' for their menu items especially in MS-Word...that shot up through the roof.... – Thoroughfare

@tommieb75: I've added information (as has overslacked) about the "Story of the Ribbon". I highly recommend that you take a look at it as it will indicate the situation MS faced and how they came to the Ribbon. It will allow for a deeper understanding of the UI pattern and insight as to whether or not it is right for you. – Onanism

Don't forget that the Ribbon is pattented and this could be a problem if you have a product that competes with Microsoft. – Furrow

Answer 2

I'm curious; have you watched the video The Story of the Ribbon?

This kind of builds on casperOne's answer, in that it will be both overused and misused.

There are many facets to the Office 2007 design changes, and in some senses the ribbon is the most superficial - but, it's the gateway to major functionality changes, such as formatting previews. In my opinion, if you aren't going to also be providing those kinds of features (if they would make sense), using the ribbon will be misleading.

I think the video I linked above is really important to be aware of. The ribbon was a very deliberate design that works extremely well in its context. I think the ideas behind the design are also very important, and if you don't understand those principles and how they apply to your application, the superficial use of a ribbon control isn't likely to add any usefulness.

Scholastic

Hey! +1 from me for that link 'The Story of the Ribbon'...interesting!!!! :D Thanks! :) – Thoroughfare