Windows 8: So Easy Even a 3-Year Old Can Use It

Many tech writers seem to think learning a new interface - in this case Windows 8 Metro - is not a normal expectation. Would an ordinary user of OSX be immediately effective when using IOS for the first time? The answer is obviously no. They might even be "baffled". Personally I found Windows 8 and particularly the Metro interface quite easy to understand after a short period of time. I really like the idea of the Metro interface included within Windows 8 Pro. You may use it or ignore it - it's your choice. I totally disagree with the above posters comment that Windows 8 does not serve the needs of an ordinary customer. I'm very ordinary and I find Windows 8 a terrific upgrade that takes a minimal amount of effort to use effectively - even print!

Shigar Kenze has it right about the "hidden interface". In the past Windows has done a great job of exposing features to casual exploring while only the power user features like key stroke commands had to be learned. In Windows 8 there are many things needed for basic navigation that are hidden and require learning before you are ever likely to stumble upon it. I think it is a side effect of Microsoft taking the "it's all about the content" industry catch phrase a little to far. They did it with Internet Explorer 9 when they put the tabs and address bar side by side, ignoring the fact that getting to and managing the "content" is often as important as the content itself. It's classic Microsoft to pick up on an industry catchphrase and then miss the point as they stick to the "letter of the law". And then brag about it.

First off I'm not sure "Windows 8: So Easy Even A 3-Year Old Can Use It" is much more accurate and factual than "Early look at Windows 8 baffles consumers". But you probably were sarcastic here. Second I don't think these videos are relevant whether it's the infamous "How Real People Will Use Windows 8" or this one. We know too little about how these 'experiments' were setup. The really interesting question is: "Will consumers adapt easily to the changes introduced by windows 8". It is too bad that we do not have metrics yet. I've been using windows 8 since the developer preview and I had zero issues with it. But I'm a web developer and I'm used to moving rapidly from windows to mac to linux. I have serious concerns about ordinary users. I've seen two of them struggle with windows 8 consumer preview and in particular with the hidden UI. This morning my brother was trying to print a pdf file with the default windows 8 reader. Previously I had taught him that right clicking would bring a context menu at the bottom of the scrteen. Yet he was stuck. It took me a few seconds to realize that to print I had to go to the charms bars and then select 'Devices' (admittedly I do not print much) And again, a few seconds because I have a good sense of UI logic and I'm clearly a power user. My brother would not have figured this out by himself. And he asked "What's the point of changing the print command ?". To me Windows 8's fundamental issue is that it does not serve the needs of ordinary customers. It's sole purpose is to try and make Microsoft relevant is the post-PC era. Microsoft relevance or survival is not what most people care about. What consumers are interested in the easiest to way to achieve their daily tasks. I am not sure that learning a radically new interface is the easiest way. Fortunately the answer to those questions is just around the corner.

This isn't meant to be "more accurate and factual" than the BS claims you've seen. It's meant to be just as accurate and factual. The point is simple: In most cases, an extreme view point is wrong. As noted in the post, some people will have trouble, some won't. But to make a major change, heck, you gotta make changes. Why is this not laudable when Microsoft does it?

Shigar Kenze : > It's sole purpose is to try and make Microsoft relevant is the post-PC era. > Microsoft relevance or survival is not what most people care about. Exactly right. MS could have improved Windows without removing Start Menu but allocated a shortcut to Start Screen. That way, consumers would have a choice and the best interface would get most use. ReTro (RT) visuals and apps in Windows is just a mean and heavy-handed way for MS to leverage their numbers to gain a foothold in mobile market. Dropping undeniably useful GPU-accelerated Aero in desktop is sufficient proof. BTW, I think the title should be "Windows 8: made so Easy only a 3-Year Old Wants to Use It"

I'm sorry, if people think this video is actually legitimate, they're fools. I have a 3 year old, and I know and have seen plenty of 3 year olds, and not a single one would be able not only understand and follow the instructions seen here, but actually correct the language the "father" uses - "please bring us to the start menu", to which the kid supposedly says "I mean, it's the start screen". And the "father's" voice sounds awfully familiar. Professional narrators have a distinct way of speaking, and this sounds very much like that. Add to this that we never actually see the kid using the computer and I have to call BS. I'm not saying Windows 8 is or is not deserving of all the criticism, but this very much strikes me as a fabrication.

The dumb thing about the Pirillo video is that the whole thing is fixed by "this is how you get to the Start menu, Dad..." and for the next 3 years he'll be using the thing just fine and probably learn a lot all by himself. Don't the setup animations tell you how to do this, anyway? I haven't followed him for a long time, but he comes across as one of those guys who will intentionally take extreme positions just to get attention.

To the poster who said the video is fake because no 3 year old can follow these kind of instructions, you have never met my youngest daughter. She is 4 now, but was 3 when Windows8 CP was released, and she figured out the OS with no initial instruction. I will grant she is better at running it with a touch screen, but she ca run it with a mouse nearly as well. We tend to underestimate children. I've shown Windows8 to all generations, and the ones most receptive have been those who are least familiar with computers. They see it as a very easy to use OS. The complaints come from, sadly, IT people who have barely if ever used it. Most things are easier to get to. The only complaint I really have is Microsoft did not give a tutorial, or some other indication on how to close "metro" apps. It took 2 of us 20 minutes (and a youtube video) to figure out the grab and drag to the bottom. We knew alt + f4, right click close, and the task manager. Little things like a better tutorial would go a long way to aiding the transition.

I love you guys. I can't really call out Pirillo for how f'ing dumb him and is stupid video are, but you did it for me. Apple, meet tree. Oh wait.