MSAS System Explorers - Usability Concerns

[Ian E]

I commented on this before (months ago) and feel compelled to repeat my
comments today in hopes that one of the Microsoft developers will log it as
a "to do" item.

I downloaded the 1.0.615 release today and find that usability of the
various System Explorers is still hobbled to the point of being effectively
useless by the lack of the ability to navigate using the keyboard (cursor
up/down, page up/down, etc.) keys.

With the current implementation you have to use the mouse *exclusively* to
select each item in a lists to review the detailed information. Well,
selecting each item sequentially using the mouse requires a huge amount of
hand-eye coordination, especially when you consider that you're having to
constantly switch from looking at the left side of the screen to the right
side & back again.

I am absolutely dumbfounded as to why the cursor keys are not implemented.
With the cursor keys you could just scroll through the list without having
to actually look at it and just focus on the right side of the screen for
any issues revealed.

This is not a real Microsoft product (usability sucks) and it shows.

 

[Paul Nutt]

Considering Microsoft's commitment to accessibility, I was surprised by your
post and disappointed to see the lack of keyboard support. It reminds me of
java based applications <shudder>.

Anyway, FWIW, you can always turn on the MouseKeys

From XP's online help:
To turn on MouseKeys
MouseKeys is designed for people who have difficulty using a mouse.
MouseKeys allows you to use the numeric keypad to control the mouse pointer.
If you want to use the numeric keypad for data entry as well as for
navigation, you can set the MouseKeys to be activated by pressing NUM LOCK.
1. Open Accessibility Options.
2. On the Mouse tab, under MouseKeys, select the Use MouseKeys check box.
To turn off MouseKeys, clear the Use MouseKeys check box.
To turn on MouseKeys using keystrokes
1. Press left ALT + left SHIFT + NUM LOCK.
2. In the MouseKeys message dialog box, press SPACEBAR to clear the Turn off
keyboard shortcut for this accessibility feature check box.
3. Press TAB, and then press ENTER.

 

[Leo Feret]

FWIW, I've been using MouseKeys for quite a while to control the cursor
in graphics applications such as IrfanView and The GIMP. I find it
difficult to control the Microsoft Trackball Explorer (which I love)
when I want to crop an image very precisely. The pixel by pixel control
with Mousekeys is the perfect solution.

However, this is no excuse for the way MAS windows are designed. When
the focus is on a list of files for example, Ctrl-Num + should readjust
the blank space for best visibility, and it does not.

Considering Microsoft's commitment to accessibility, I was surprised
by your post and disappointed to see the lack of keyboard support. It
reminds me of java based applications <shudder>.

Anyway, FWIW, you can always turn on the MouseKeys

From XP's online help:
To turn on MouseKeys
MouseKeys is designed for people who have difficulty using a mouse.
MouseKeys allows you to use the numeric keypad to control the mouse
pointer. If you want to use the numeric keypad for data entry as well
as for navigation, you can set the MouseKeys to be activated by
pressing NUM LOCK. 1. Open Accessibility Options.
2. On the Mouse tab, under MouseKeys, select the Use MouseKeys check
box. To turn off MouseKeys, clear the Use MouseKeys check box.
To turn on MouseKeys using keystrokes
1. Press left ALT + left SHIFT + NUM LOCK.
2. In the MouseKeys message dialog box, press SPACEBAR to clear the
Turn off keyboard shortcut for this accessibility feature check box.
3. Press TAB, and then press ENTER.

--
Leo Feret - "I'm not always at the keyboard;
·|Ô¿Ô¬|· sometimes I use the trackball."
____________________________________________
"In 10 or 20 years time, when our children look at a wooden chess set,
they will they say, 'Daddy, you played chess with this? How could you
use these pieces, and having to write down the moves on scoresheets and
press a clock?'”
- Gary Kasparov