Is there Improved Usability in WordPress 2.7?
Saturday, October 25th, 2008
Warning: This post may offend WordPress fanboys. Feel free to grab a handkerchief and move to a seated position. I recommend a towel for fanboys, but everyone else should be fine. References to the previous redesign refer to the Happy Cog redesign in WordPress 2.5 released in March, 2008 and WordPress 2.6 released in July, 2008 (only a few months ago). Handkerchiefs ready then… everyone say EVOLUTION… (another Kodak moment).
WordPress 2.7 is coming out and it’s smoking hot by all accounts with some sweet under the hood changes, a new Dashboard, and a brand new administration interface that will make it more usable. Did they say more usable? What area of usability research has ever said changing a content management administration area’s interface several times in a year will equal greater usability? Most users I deal with struggle with their email applications – small to medium businesses and smaller Not for Profit organisations.
In fact, as someone who has to deal with client education I’m going to have to field a number of business related client calls that are going to ask me WTF happened to the buttons? Where the hell did that feature move to? Is this the same program? What have I done to them while they were asleep? To many of them there will be an attribution of fault laid on my professional doorstep.
There are a number of problems that can be identified here:
