Don’t Think, Just Right-Click
Recently while I was tutoring my Mom and Dad on Word 2007 I blurted out: "Just right-click."
The remainder of this post is part explanation, part apology, and part justification.
Part Explanation
While this advice may seem dismissive, I didn't mean for it to be. When we design new features, we think about the most useful places to surface that features and try to put them there. Often, the most useful place for a feature is directly on the "thing" it affects.
Here's the logic: If you want to take an action on something, right-clicking on it is a great place to start.
For example:
Where is providing synonyms for a word useful? On the word itself. So right-click on the word.
Where is restarting a numbered list useful? On the numbered list itself. So right-click on the numbered list.
Where is changing the spacing of a paragraph useful? One the paragraph itself. So right-click on the paragraph.
The design principle is "make actions contextual". The practice is "right-click on something to act on it".
Part Apology
If you are like my Mom and Dad and do not design software for a living, chances are you never ask yourself questions like: "In what context is feature X most useful?" But, you most certainly have thoughts like "I need to do X to Y." when using software. My suggestion to my parents is my suggestion to you: right-click on Y and look for something like X. The intent here is not to be terse. It is to provide simple and helpful advice.
Part Justification
Here's where this right-click zeal came from: Prior to speaking with my parents I spent a half hour trying to figure out how to rotate a picture in Vista without opening it. The story ends with me accidentally right clicking on a thumbnail in my Pictures folder and discovering that I could have saved myself a half hour had started by doing that. The right-click menu contained "Rotate Clockwise" and "Rotate Counterclockwise". It was like calling tech support about a printer not working before checking to see if it was actually connected to the computer (which I also did on the same day…not a good day and yes, I am suggesting that you take advice from me :)).
Just like it's great to make sure everything is plugged in first before you call for help with hardware, it's great to right-click before you call for help with software. Even if you are sure the printer is plugged in (like I sadly was), check the connections. Even if you are sure you don't how to do X in Word 2007, check the right-click menu. Check the right-click menu even if you don't think it will help…you'll be surprised what right-click can do...I was in Vista...and was again later that week in Word 2007.
Specifically, I was reading a document in Word 2007 and came across a reference to the capitol of New Hampshire, but the capitol itself was not mentioned. I wanted to know what city was being referenced and I wanted to follow my own right-click advice, so I selected the text "capitol of New Hampshire", right-clicked on it in Word 2007, found an option called "Look Up…", and clicked it. A pane opened up on the right side of Word and not only told me "Concord", but pointed me to a picture of the capitol building in New Hampshire, told me that New Hampshire is one of the six New England states, one of the smaller states of the United States, and that Manchester is the largest city in New Hampshire.
Mom and Dad – I'm sorry if my advice came across as terse, but right-click "Concord", pictures, and interesting facts...hopefully you at least see where I am coming from. :)
-Jonathan
