The User Experience, Windows 7 vs. Snow Leopard

Steven Sinofsky versus x Steve Jobs

The User Interface (UI) is the point at which we interact with all sorts of devices. System designers control the UI. They hope to create a positive, seamless User Experience (UX). The UX is a feeling based upon the ease and pleasure we experience in performing common or infrequent actions. Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch have a great UI that delivers a marvelous UX. Newer automotive UIs break established automobile control practices placing the uninitiated at sea. That is not a good UX for them.

Snow Leopard (SL) is the latest iteration of the Mac operating system. Windows 7 (W7) is Microsoft’s. The SL UI is little changed from Leopard, its predecessor OS. There are subtle tweaks that many users will not notice or access.

The W7 UI enhances the Vista UI. Vista implemented significant UI changes from Windows XP, most noticeably a redesigned Start menu and Windows Explorer window. W7 adds some neat eye candy via its Aero features that are fun to demonstrate and to use, and make the UX better. The redesigned Taskbar and the addition of Jump Lists to Start menu and Taskbar application links are a big change from Vista or XP.

Menus/Shortcuts

Apple separates application shortcuts from its menu bar. These may appear on the desktop, the Dock or in the Application folder. The menu bar is a relatively static object that displays whichever application has the system focus, even if it has no exposed or open window.

Many users do not appreciate what an unwieldy bit of UI the Dock is because it is great eye candy. It has bouncing, zooming icons and the Genie effect when we minimize windows. This entertains but masks the Docks deficiencies. It takes up a significant part of the window. Its functionality is non-obvious and is limited.

The W7 Taskbar and Start menu are more integrated. You can pin application or document shortcuts to either one. Aero Peak makes it easy to navigate to different windows or tabs within an application or across applications. The Taskbar consumes a small amount of the screen. (Advantage: Windows 7)

File Manager

Finder is the Mac file system application. It is kludgy by comparison to Windows Explorer. You can only resize the Finder window from one location, the lower right corner. Windows Explorer has 8 places for resizing, the 4 corners and the 4 sides. Finder has 4 views: Icons, List, Columns and Cover Flow. Windows Explorer has 8: Extra Large, Large, Medium and Small Icons, List, Details, Tile and Content. It also has a very useful breadcrumb navigation menu and links to favorites, libraries, Homegroup, Computer and Network locations. (Advantage: Windows 7)

Search

Search in both operating systems is robust and mature. Apple has Spotlight , which appears on both the Menu bar and in Finder windows. It is simple to access Spotlight by pressing the "CMD key + Space". Spotlight search is almost instantaneous and incredibly accurate.

W7 improves on the Vista Start menu search bar . It is faster and more accurate. It is a little bit slower than Spotlight but as accurate. It is easier to configure Spotlight preferences than Windows search. (Advantage: Snow Leopard)

Media

I find it easier to play or view media on Snow Leopard. But I don’t like the limitations imposed by Apple on how many and what machines with which I can share my iTunes.

I like most of the Windows 7 media applications better. I suggest you try the new Zune player application to see why.  Also Windows 7 lets you network your media files with any machine you want without limit. (Advantage: Tie)

Networking

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Macs used to be much easier to network than Windows. W7 changes this. Its network wizards are easy to use and understand. Homegroup, networking 2 or more W7 computers, is simple. W7 is not as good at connecting to Macs as SL is at connecting to Windows. (Advantage: Tie)

Conclusion

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I find the Windows 7 UX more pleasing than Snow Leopard’s. I think you will too.