Ribbon Questions Answered

Some think that the ribbon pattern was intended to replace the traditional toolbars and so, have concerns about the way a ribbon works in comparison to a toolbar. This is only partly true, but it is better to think of the ribbon as a replacement to the menu pattern. The ribbon pattern also replaces the toolbar pattern with the "quick access toolbar"

Take a look at this image of Microsoft Word with most of the common toolbars available.



Each of these toolbars is a representation of only some of the functionality available in Word. To get to all of the information, you must learn the menu structure of Word and rely on textual information only. Tools of prominent use have no emphasis above tools with less common use. They are the same size and require "customizing" to change the layouts of toolbars.

The ribbon pattern, on the other hand, takes the menu structure and lays it out in tabs making the exploration a little easier. The context of the user's task is adjusted by automatically changing the ribbon tab for the user instead of displaying and hiding toolbars. Any tool that a user wants available regardless of context can be added to the quick access toolbar with a simple right-click action.

Thinking of the ribbon as a replacement to a toolbar, one might complain that not all tools are available for immediate access like they are in a traditional toolbar. This thinking has two problems: 1)Even traditional toolbars are hidden and displayed based on context; look at the "Reviewing" and "Outline" toolbars in Word. It is impractical to have all toolbars available because of limited screen space. 2)The quick access toolbar portion of the ribbon is intended to serve this purpose, except that instead of giving the user an entire toolbar full of tools they may or may not use, it is easily customizable to be exactly what they want.

A few bonus details is that the screen space is managed better because the ribbon is collapsible (or minimizable) and the typically-wasted space of the title bar now a has more functional use.

So, now it is your turn. What are your complaints about the ribbon pattern? Got any questions? Do you love it? Leave your comments on this post to start the discussion.