Some companies overlook the importance of software updaters and regard them instead as dull but necessary utilities undeserving of serious investment. But because they are so integral to the user experience, and because they enable users to upgrade to the latest software versions, software updaters are a savvy investment that users notice, for good and bad.

Design a software updater right and users will upgrade without hesitation, saving you money as previous customer complaints are silenced by appreciated bug fixes and enhancements. The truth is that customers love to upgrade if it’s not too expensive—and not too scary.

Design a software updater wrong and confused customers may delay upgrading as long as possible and may refrain from upgrading altogether, extending the time that those bugs go uncorrected and requested enhancements go seemingly ignored.

Design it terribly wrong and customers will call technical support, adding to your expenses. Soon after, they might stop being customers.

Many people have written to say how much they dislike Adobe Updater. Some dislike how pestering it is, how it always seems to pop up to announce yet another obscure update; others dislike how often it fails to update successfully; and still others deplore how un-Mac-like it is.

Everyone agrees on one point, though: Adobe Updater is confusing.

(more…)

Alright already, I said to the Adobe Updater, mostly just to shut it up. I’ll install, I’ll install.

(Clicks Install Now.)

Now, where was I… Ah yes, Proust:

Vinteuil felt the sting of her friend’s sudden kiss; she gave a little scream and ran away; and then they began to chase one another about the room, scrambling over the furniture, their wide sleeves fluttering like wings, clucking and crowing like a pair of amorous fowls. At last—

Heh. He kills me.

At last Mlle. Vinteuil fell down exhausted upon the sofa, where she was screened from me by the stooping body of her friend. But the latter now had her back turned to the little table on which the old music-master’s portrait had been arranged. Mlle. Vinteuil realised that her friend—

Huh? What the…? What is this? Oh yeah, I was installing something—but what happened? “Encountered a problem”…what problem? Whose alert is this? What was I installing again?

Jesus.

 

Thank you,
Your Customer


Good design accommodates the user. Any tool that “gets out of your way” or “becomes invisible” is simply accommodating your needs so that you remain focused on what you’re doing, and not on the tool.

Example: A Ford F150 truck tries not to nag you about your seatbelt. When you neglect to fasten your seatbelt before driving away, you see on the dashboard a small illuminated image of a figure in a seatbelt and you hear a soft bell chime six times. The bell goes silent after the six chimes, and after 20 seconds the illuminated image disappears too.

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You can rename files and folders in the Finder in several ways:

Use Get Info
1. Select the item in the Finder.
2. Choose File > Get Info.
3. Rename the item.

Click the name a second time
1. Select the item in the Finder.
2. Wait a brief moment.
3. Click on the item’s selected name.
4. Rename the item.

Press the Enter key
1. Select the item in the Finder.
2. Press the Enter key.
3. Rename the item.
4. Press the Enter key again.