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How far we have come in comprehending the fundamentals of user-oriented design! Here’s an example where functionality has overridden the long-held tenets of design and visual design: the log in screen for an OS. Whereas Microsoft still hangs on to a left-arrow and Apple to a image button, Ubuntu and many other Linux OSes have long since discarded it in favor of minimalism. It is hard to imagine a scenario where a user is able to type in their username and not have access to an Enter key. Obviously, the need for a username/password gateway can be debatable (and an unfavorable hindrance for some).
Windows 7 is slated to look very much like Vista.
All Ubuntu 9 has is a input box.
Previous versions of Ubuntu also had a similar interface.
It may take a while to get used to, but since the Enter key is considerably easier to press than moving a mouse, the functionality of a Enter button is largely visual. I can only begin to imagine how that might transition to the online world (though I have no doubt in some cases it already has).
This entry was posted on Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at 6:31 pm, EST under the category of Coding, User Interface, Web design. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.