Usability Expert Says Windows 8 Is Terrible, but Windows 9 May Save It

Jakob Nielsen, usability expert said that Windows 8 is weak on tablets and terrible on PCs.

When web and gadget companies want to ensure people to figure out how to use their product, they ask the help of experts, such as Jakob Nielsen, who is renowned for his column Alertbox.

Nielsen scathingly reviewed Kindle Fire last year, which made headlines and alerted the buyers to choppy scrolling and hard to use volume controls of Amazon’s tablet.  Now, Nielsen is publishing the results of his company’s study where he invited 12 expert users to test Windows 8, Windows latest version for PCs and Surface RT tablets alike.

Windows 8 Removes the Benefits of a Powerful PC

Nielsen summed the study of his firm, saying that Microsoft’s Windows 8 removed the powerful benefits of the PC. For tablet use, specifically Surface RT tablets which Microsoft uses to compete with iPad, Nielsen feels that the operating system’s issues can be fixed with some modest redesigning which may come with Windows 9.  Such makes Windows 9 to deserve the wait, just like how Windows 7 fixed the problems of Vista.

Test Run Methodology

The participants of the study performed a chain of tasks, like changing the background of the Start screen. The usability consultants watched them do it and noted problem areas like, “Where can you click?”.

Modern UI, formerly called Metro uses monochrome, flat and extremely simple icons which at times do not have a box surrounding them. The participants oftentimes could not find the “Change PC settings” menu since it did not have an icon and it appeared like a label of other icons near it. When the participants tapped on places where they expected to have some results like a title of an app, it did not work. The new swiping gesture of Microsoft was also hard to understand.

So Much Information on Windows 8 and the Wait for Windows 9

The Start screen of Windows 8 appears like it “has dozens of carnival barkers yelling at you”, Nielsen said. There are also animated live tiles with apps displaying up-to-date information and tapped when used. These make the user getting distracted easily and finding it quite difficult to pick out the right one. Nielsen said he plans to stick with Windows 7 and wait for Windows 9’s release.