4 UX principles that Microsoft forgot about in Windows 8

Translation of the article “The 4 UX Principles of Microsoft Forgot That Doomed Windows 8” from Usabilla.com.

When choosing a future for Windows, Microsoft made a risky bet on creating an operating system that would be equally well suited for tablets and desktop computers. This seemingly very reasonable strategy was doomed to failure for several reasons; by and large, the whole point is that Microsoft has forgotten about the necessary fundamentals.
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They do not know their client. They do not solve any problem. They did not begin to study users, and it is not entirely clear what they still wanted to say with their new product.

My story today about how Microsoft miscalculated was just one more attempt to show what happens to those who violate the basic principles of UX and business.

Microsoft features

Microsoft continues to be a leading player in the operating system market. Of course, if you look around right now, then this statement may seem controversial to you (after all, it is quite possible that you are sitting at work now, surrounded from all sides by Apple laptops). However, according to a study conducted by NetMarketShare , in December 2012, Microsoft was controlling 91.74% of the operating system market for desktops and laptops.





One out of three users still works on the operating system released in 2001 ( Source )

Meanwhile, Windows 7 finally got the status of the most widely used OS - even though this event occurred only in August 2012; but pay attention to something else - even in December, the share of Windows XP continued to be 39% of the total number of computers with Windows. This figure means that more than one of the three computers today continue to use the OS, which was released back in 2001 - and this happened, imagine, 12 years ago. Not every one of us can boast that goes with a mobile phone, which is more than 12 years old, or uses any technology with the same period of limitation.

Among the rest of the technology products, Windows XP looks like a real zombie. She should have gone to the grave several years ago, but, apparently, nothing can stop her. Yes, and Windows 7 was able to pull the blanket over itself and attract such a percentage of users only because Microsoft refused to continue selling Windows XP.

Now that it’s only one and a half years before the end of any support for Windows XP, selling Windows 8 users should be easier than ever - after all, do not forget, every third desktop user has long been in need of an update. And if we close our eyes to the tragedy that happened with Windows Vista, then we can assume that the approximate percentage of users switching to the new version of Windows is almost 50%. From all this, we come to the seemingly obvious conclusion - the task of “forcing” users to upgrade to Windows 8 can be considered already solved.

So why aren't users updated?

In the same diagram, it is noticeable that the percentage of users switching to Windows 8 is 1.72%. This is a decent result for the software, which was released on October 26 of last year (we will not take into account the fact that certain versions were available from August 1). Microsoft has officially confirmed that sales for the first weekend after launch amounted to more than 4 million copies, but the latest rumors are unanimous that subsequent sales figures were disappointing.

Paul Tarot, author of Supersite For Windows , quoted the source from Microsoft itself back in November: “PC sales on Windows 8 turned out to be much lower than the bar Microsoft was counting on, and inside the company they are not called anything but disappointing . The blame for what is happening, according to the same Tarot, decided to write off the "inexpressive design produced by PC and their inaccessibility."

With all due respect to the opinion of Paul and his research, I would like to offer a slightly different reason why Microsoft is having difficulty selling Windows 8.

Mantra ux

You can read about the mantra here , this is a squeeze with “ A Better User Experience ”. In short, its essence is “product, market, message, user achievement”.

Simply put, if you want to sell something, then first you need to understand who you are going to sell it to, how you plan to reach these people and what approach works best for selling your product. If all parts of the mantra are known to you, then you are on the path that can lead you to success.

In my opinion, both Surface and Windows 8 were notable for noticeable problems in all listed points. However, Microsoft should pay tribute - after so many years of skimming off the ideas spied from Apple, they decided to withdraw from their homes and try something new.

If we go beyond discussing only desktop computers, the main successes achieved by Microsoft in recent years will be immediately noticeable. Of course, the best example in this regard would be the Xbox unit. In addition to the fact that the notorious problem of the “red ring of death” has finally sunk into oblivion, the game console has received support in the form of Kinect and Xbox Live, which has been reworked from scratch. The latest Xbox Live update did allow Microsoft to go beyond the gaming market, opening its way to the endless sphere of home entertainment.

The mobile phone division also has some success. It coped well with the task of creating your own niche for Windows Phone - this is understandable already by how much attention the NY Times authors pay them.

It turns out, in areas that are not related to desktop computers, Microsoft is resolutely moving forward.

Many have heard about the fact that despite the fact that all the glory went to the iPad, the first tablet computer was shown all the same by Bill Gates. This tablet worked, by the way, under control of full-fledged Windows XP.



It is not known how Ballmer got the idea to create a chimera, which would later be called Windows 8, but I think it happened at the time of the next bout of thinking in the spirit of “What would Bill do”. Steve saw the photo, remembered the long-forgotten idea, and suddenly realized that the OS can be used on the tablet in exactly the same way as on the “big” computer - all that remained was to pull the UI from Windows Phone. All is ready; You can celebrate the victory .

No one denies that the resulting worthy title of the original creation: half desktop, half tablet OS, able to easily confuse those who try to use it, and which can not properly support most of the desktop computers released at the moment.

Problem one: the market does not exist

The first problem immediately catches the eye, Paul Tarot also points to it: for Windows 8, a previously prepared market was not created.

In order to maximize convenience from Windows 8, the user must have a computer that combines the functionality of a simple PC and tablet. At the time of this writing, there are not so many options. Computer manufacturers are rapidly filling the gap in the market, but the only Windows 8 device that is ready and regularly advertised was and remains manufactured by Microsoft itself - and that is Surface.

Microsoft itself is in 4th place for the delivery of OEM-devices with Windows 8.



The fact remains: Problem # 1, which stands in the way of Windows 8 distribution, is the insufficient number of PCs ready for its use at home and in the workplace, which could allow the use of all the innovations of Windows 8. My guess is this - as long as companies of the hundreds of Fortune and the government will not switch to such desktop / tablet type hybrid devices, Windows 8 will continue to experience low sales. And in the last remark there is no error - Windows 8 has already suffered from a low percentage of the transition to it. Believe it or not, Windows 8 at the current stage of its life cycle has a lower percentage of transitions to it than in the famous case of Vista.



This is not the only thing Microsoft suffered from - it was badly affected by the fact that their confusing message to consumers did not offer any impressive reasons for the update.

Problem two: they do not solve the problem

The main innovation of Windows 8 is its use as a single OS for tablets and desktops. Take a closer look - this idea does not contain the thought of solving any problems in the lives of users.

The slow adoption of the OS highlighted the fact that Windows 8 will require not only new computers, but also new skills. For business and education this is not the best solution, because the budgets in such cases are very limited, and the focus is not on quickly all students or teenagers.

Problem three 3: The message that they want to convey cannot offer anything and has no contact with the user.

Most likely, you have seen an ad for Windows 8 or Surface. I'm not sure that an ordinary person can easily distinguish one video from another. See for yourself.



This ad has been on replay all over the place for several months now. In it, students are active, now and then attaching and detaching colored covers from their Surface. Well, if they don’t bother with covers, they slide their fingers across the screen. Let's try to figure out what the authors wanted to tell us. Most likely, they tried to show how important it is to actively use the tablet. Most likely, an inexperienced public in response will decide that they simply do not need it.

Take a look at another example.



By the way, I really like this ad. It represents one of the features of Windows 8, which I really like: a password in the form of a picture. In the video, people unlock their computers by simply moving their fingers around the image. But you know what else I would like to see? How to send email? How is this feature related to other applications? I saw a child painting on it, but I didn’t see a graphic designer who works in Photoshop.

Bright colors and active movements in the first advertisement; family idyll in the second; What do we have at the exit? It feels like this Windows is not made for business. It is designed for entertainment.

If your main customers are companies and the government, then this approach leads to an obvious problem. I am not the first to notice this mistake. Michael Birkin, Acer's Director of Marketing (one of Microsoft’s largest OEMs), recently expressed a similar message that “all product promotions are focused on a removable keyboard. As a result, users and notions have no idea how to get maximum benefit with the help of touches. ” He mentioned the fact that the advertisement is considered “confusing.”

I hardly have anything to add to his words.

Problem four: ignoring interaction experience

In pursuit of creating its hybrid, Microsoft seriously ignored usability.

Deeply hidden functions, creating difficulties for interface learners, overloading cognitive perception due to ambiguity of the environment, reduced utility of single-window mode and low information density on the screen. Too, too bad.
- Jacob Nielsen

Jacob Nielsen wrote a whole article entitled “ Windows 8 - Disappointment in Convenience for both Newbies and Experienceds ”, the conclusion of which you just read.

The following video reveals the duality of the new operating system.



Scientific American published an article entitled “ Why Touch Screens Could Not Take Over ”, which contains an interesting theory that touch screens will always remain niche devices due to the effect called the “gorilla hand”. Its essence lies in the fact that it is easier for any of us to move a hand a little on the table on the mouse than to swing our arms all the way back and forth. Microsoft is trying to convince us otherwise. They put on the fact that the world is ready for hybrid devices, and their “cash cow” acts as a bet. I prefer to keep healthy skepticism.

Some results

Microsoft has demonstrated its ineptitude in all aspects of launching and marketing Windows 8. Let’s go through the main mistakes of the creators of this OS once again to never allow them in your own projects - or just in case you have to go the same way:

• Know your market: Microsoft has created a product that their current users do not need.
• Know the problem: Microsoft doesn’t understand why people don’t want to part with XP and love it so much. If they knew, they would have taken the part they loved so much and threw everything else away.
• Know what you want to say: Microsoft has created such a confusing message that even OEMs are already complaining about them. And all because Microsoft does not help Acer to promote its product. If you have no idea what your users want, do not tell them that you have it. If you need to convince them of this - get ready to get out with all your might and hope that no one will notice.
• We should not ignore the study of user behavior : A good UX includes both convenience, comprehension, and responsiveness — you cannot throw something out of it just because you think that “users do not know what they want.” Users know what they want, even if it is not expressed in a tangible form - but they will feel when something confuses them or tires them. When a study says one thing and you do another, be prepared to take responsibility for it.

These are Ben’s thoughts about Windows 8. And what about you?