Microsoft Vista User Interface Guidelines Published

SEMW writes "Microsoft has published the preliminary Official User Interface Guidelines for Windows Vista. Highlights include Top 12 Rules for the Windows Vista User Experience — and the use of screenshots from Windows XP as examples of what not to do. The full guidelines are as yet incomplete, but what is there makes for interesting reading."

Comments

Yeah!

[sproketboy]

Something for Gnome and KDE folk to copy!

LMAO, DRM Etiquette

[twitter]

from what not to do,

Be polite, supportive, and encouraging. The user should never feel condescended to, blamed, or intimidated.
Acceptable: Cannot delete New Text Document: Access is denied.
Better: This file is protected and cannot be deleted without specific permission.

There you go, you need to be polite and supportive when you tell the user they can't do what they want to do. Instructions won't do any good because there is no way to get the thing done. The user then only has to remember the sounds of crashing chairs and "I'm going to fucking kill Google! I've done it before and I'm going to do it again."

Don't foreget that when your computer is really slow, pops up images of American Express Cards and naked ladies at random, it's all your fault, you stupid little shit, you visited the wrong site and downloaded things you should not have. Please don't feel condescended to, blamed, or intimidated as company representatives tell you this over and over.

What a bunch of double talk.