Comments on Ux Unleashed: Crtl + F in MS-Outlook

I agree, it's a DUMB design. If there were no ...

2009-09-22T23:02:46.556-07:00

I agree, it's a DUMB design. If there were no need to search WITHIN an email (something I often do), why did Microsoft provide the F4 (Find) function for that purpose? Simply the fact that they have provided two separate methods to call the finf function within the one application is inconsistent! Plus, while you're editing an email, the Ctrl-F pops up the find window! Very very annoying.

Sunil, you make no sense, the author is correct.
2008-09-18T02:56:00.000-07:00
Sunil, you make no sense, the author is correct.

Outlook is in no way "Too broad a scope", it's an email application. On an average day in the office, I use it to do a massive 2 tasks - write a new email or reply to an existing one - hundreds of times a day.

It's bad enough that Ctrl+F doesn't do a find, and that you can't seem to remap it like you can in e.g. Visual Studio, without it doing different functions in the same app. Crap user interface design, no excuses.

Ctrl-F behavior in outlook is maddening. Rationali...

2008-05-09T17:36:00.000-07:00

Ctrl-F behavior in outlook is maddening. Rationalize it however you want. But it's inconsistent with the rest of the world and that makes it a very stupid choice.

Application is too broad a scope. I would stay wit...

2007-08-24T00:17:00.000-07:00

Application is too broad a scope. I would stay with context.

Mailbox as the selected item Vs Mail each as individuals should define indivisual and relevant experiences.

Sunil, I agree with you that in this application, ...

2007-08-23T23:56:00.000-07:00

Sunil, I agree with you that in this application, forward function is used more than find function.

But within one application, a shortcut should perform one function. If we are using Ctrl + F for forwarding then it should always do the same irrespective of where we are performing the function. In MS outlook, Ctrl+F is for forwarding the mails, then the functions its performing should not be changed again and again. Otherwise its can be difficult for a user to figure out what Ctrl+ F is going to perform.

According to me, to be consistent in one application a shortcut should perform only one function.

Here is another way to look at the problem. Lets s...

2007-08-23T01:09:00.000-07:00

Here is another way to look at the problem. Lets say you were building an offline blog writer (like http://get.live.com/betas/writer_betas)

Would you map the CTRL - P to print or publish?

Consitency is a component of a usable interface. S...

2007-08-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

Consitency is a component of a usable interface. So is relevance.

1. For an email, CTRL-F is mapped to the "fordwarding" action. This action is much more relevant than searching. I mean how many times do you end up searching 'inside' an email?

2. Searching within a document or spreadsheet or web page is a common usage.

Hence CTRL-F being mapped to Find is accurate.

3. It is important to understand the three scenarios that you are calling inconsistent

(a) When you click on the Mailbox, you are performing action on a collection of documents (emails, appointments, tasks, reminders) and search is relevant

(b) When you click on the inbox, notice this very carefully, two things happen in rapid succession. The inbox gets the focus and then the focus is transferred to a mail inside it. So the live object is an email and hence CTRL-F instantiates a forward. Which is absolutely how it should be.

(c) I could not validate the third scenario (Search pop up in a new mail window. So no comments)

Ergo, I do not consider this to inconsistency.

(BTW, The F in CTRL-F seemed correct as the usage of the word FIND was much more prevanent than SEARCHbut then it is too much of a muscle memory to try and change it)