In previous releases of Microsoft Office applications, people used a system of menus, toolbars, task panes, and dialog boxes to get their work done. This system worked well when the applications had a limited number of commands. Now that the programs do so much more, the menus and toolbars system does not work as well. Too many program features are too hard for many users to find. For this reason, the overriding design goal for the Office Fluent user interface is to make it easier for people to find and use the full range of features these applications provide. In addition, Microsoft wanted to preserve an uncluttered workspace that reduces distraction for users so they can spend more time and energy focused on their work. With these goals in mind, they developed a results-oriented approach that makes it much easier to produce great results using the 2007 Microsoft Office applications.

Better Results, Faster
Microsoft redesigned the Microsoft Office user interface to make it easier to find and use the features you need to deliver better results, faster.  The new interface offers new results-oriented features such as: “The Ribbon” navigation and the addition of the Microsoft Office Button for one-touch access to the most popular commands.

The Ribbon organizes all the features of the products into tabs.  The tabs organize your commands and help you quickly find the most popular commands for completion of tasks. 

Galleries show you different styles you can use to change the look and style of your documents.  When browsing through the Galleries, changes are shown in real-time with live preview to simplify the design process.

Live Preview is a new technology that shows the results of applying an editing or formatting change as the user moves the pointer over the results presented in a Gallery. This new, dynamic capability streamlines the process of laying out, editing, and formatting so users can create excellent results with less time and effort. These elements are just a few of the new technologies that combine to create the Office Fluent user interface.

To learn more about Microsoft Office 2007 and how you can have this integrated into your workforce, contact Digital Reach.