The dumbing down of software

from Stardock Forums

I remember back in the 90’s how people complained that software was too complicated and had to many options and menu items. The software industry responded, but…I’ve noticed over the past few years that software is increasingly being dumbed down for the end user to the point of being ridiculous..

For example, when I launched IE for Windows 8 for the first time on my wife’s computer, the basic menu bar (with “file”, “edit”, view”, tools”, etc) wasn’t even selected by default. Sure it was easy to right click and select, but does MS believe the average user has no need for those menu items?

Excel pivot tables. The original pivot tables summarized your data in neat labeled columns that allowed you to easily work with the data and cut and paste it into other applications such as MS Access. The current default table summarizes all of the data into a single column, without labels, making it virtually impossible to do anything with it except view the results. Great for the HR or Marketing person who occasionally needs it, but counter productive for Excel power users. Thank goodness MS had the foresight to allow users to select the “classic” pivot table as an option…

Google Chrome: A single drop down menu. Doing something like changing the home page used to be straight forward. Just tools/internet options and there it was, ready to be updated if you wanted. Now with chrome, you have to go through two or three levels to get to the appropriate menu, it’s no longer referred to as home page, and the options aren’t clear. And to add insult to injury, every day when I boot up my PC and open Chrome, it defaults to the google home page, even after I changed and made sure I saved the change. I’ve gone back to Firefox…

Windows 8: With its primary colors and row after row of rectangular boxes, it looks more like a child’s play-computer interface than an adult OS. And simple stuff like add/remove programs is now called something else and buried under two levels of menus.

I could go on. It seems the pendulum has swung completely in the other direction. In many cases, it’s been made so simple, that it’s become a hassle to customize things. As an end user, I want to be able to customize the program to fit the way I work, not just settle for the default setting that the developer thinks people want. I want menu back. I want customization back. I want control, not some watered down crap for the masses.

 /rant over

30,018 views 11 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

Idiotocracy in the making?

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

depends on their target audience really.

are they going to make it easy for your average granny or they going to target the those who tinker? those who tinker will get to do their thing with more steps anyway...

Star Control: Origins
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top

If MS really dumbed-down it's OS to match the IQ of the average user it would end up as a set of wooden blocks with numbers on them...;p

Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting ElanaAhova, reply 1
Idiotocracy in the making?
End of ElanaAhova's quote

HeHe

Facts is that smarter people, people with higher IQ and EQ are delaying having children for various reasons (career, education, we cannot afford kids yet  etc.) and in the end in most cases decide to have 1 or 2 at most while "other" people start having kids early on with more kids. Ages between generations are generally shorter with people with lower IQ.

Given different social status and different circles that people move in intermixing is getting less and less likely

Yes Idiotcracy is in the making.  

Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting alaknebs, reply 2

depends on their target audience really.

are they going to make it easy for your average granny or they going to target the those who tinker? those who tinker will get to do their thing with more steps anyway...
End of alaknebs's quote

 

I see your point, but in the case of Excel, it makes no sense. It was the Accounting & Finance community that made Excel (and Office by extension) so popular. Why would they want to piss off there core customer? I have yet to meet a fellow finance guy who likes the new pivot table.

 

And while you could call this "personal preference", they made another big change - they formatted the pivot table so that subtotals and totals would appear above the detail data, not below. Ever since the invention of double entry accounting hundreds of years ago, finance folks have been putting totals and subtotals below the detail data. Now MS just ignores convention and makes that change...WTF were they thinking. I would like to meet the focus group MS interviewed who said "oh, yes, put the totals above the detail". Maybe Jafo could throw rocks at them for me.

Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Hell, it isn't even called software any more. The name has been dumbed down to "Apps" 

I can remember when phones were dumb and the caller was supposed to be smarter ....and if you had a tablet, you probably had a pen and pencil as well and knew how to read and write (correct spelling was a nice bonus)

Ironic, as the devices I use have more and more function and memory, I have less and less.   ;P

Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top

See? Told ya so. :blush:

Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top

They are just trying what we used to call the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) method in my day.  :) ;P

Reply #9 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Wizard1956, reply 6

Hell, it isn't even called software any more. The name has been dumbed down to "Apps" 

I can remember when phones were dumb and the caller was supposed to be smarter ....and if you had a tablet, you probably had a pen and pencil as well and knew how to read and write (correct spelling was a nice bonus)

Ironic, as the devices I use have more and more function and memory, I have less and less.  
End of Wizard1956's quote

I thought the idea of calling them 'aps' rather than a rental (or the software) or a lease, etc., was to get past some of the 'sales/buying language - sneak in underr the radar.

Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting LightStar, reply 8
They are just trying what we used to call the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) method in my day.
End of LightStar's quote

If that's true they could learn from Apple. A simple copy click and drag to install or uninstall a program.

Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting Jafo, reply 3

If MS really dumbed-down it's OS to match the IQ of the average user it would end up as a set of wooden blocks with numbers on them...
End of Jafo's quote

Or everyone will be forced to get touch screens so they can use an abacus combined with the stick in the sand method.

And a friend who has a touch screen say it offers no advantage of 'touch' on the Playboy site, so I've stopped saving for one and will now focus on something 3-D instead.

As for dumbed-down, I think things are going to get a whole lot worse before MS and others truly listen to what users want.... particularly the younger users who are experienced PC users before they leave primary school.  Sure, there's the few granny and grandad users who prefer ease of use to complicated, but most of the people I know in my age group/generation [60ish] are competent users who don't need simplification to the point of being ridiculous.We might forget things now and then [occasional CRAFT disease], but we're not senile or incapable of learning.

Yes there are some software titles I am far from proficient with, but if I were [required] to use them more frequently, I have no doubt that I could learn to use them more proficiently.  So yeah, the way MS and other software developers are thinking is insulting to we older folk and somewhat presumptuous.  Besides, our brains require challenge as we get older, otherwise they function less because we have no need to use them. 

Like they say, use it or lose it.