New, Darker, UI for InDesign CS6

[Steve Perry Creative]

I love the new, darker, UI for Photoshop and Illustrator CS6 but why hasn't it been incorporated across the full suite? I'd love to see this in InDesign, too.

[Jongware]

John, the sad thing is you may be right on this:

> If Adobe put development resources into a dark UI, I would find that wasted work and effort that would take away limited resources from development that's actually important.

... it may actually be the reason the Illustrator and Photoshop *do* have a Dark UI option.

"Guys, *no-one* has ideas for the new version? Nobody at all?"

".. A dark user interface?"

"Brilliant!"

[Dave_Breck]

The lack of consistency in UI goes beyond just an option because "they were too busy making the product perfect" and other silly excuses being made here. It is usability. Adobe has long suffered from good usability across the product spectrum, at times almost defiantly so (like not enabling mouse actions to navigate clunky interfaces like Bridge that match that of Finder).

I love that Illustrator and PS snap right open when launched, a huge improvement for me. InDesign to me does feel like a redheaded stepchild.

But overall how about less excuses for the individual silos at Adobe and one person who manages interface and usability at the top of the food chain there? There's a company in Cupertino that pretty much does that. And while they're certainly not perfect either, they do work together across products and it makes a huge difference for usability.

This software should put USABILITY at the top of its list. It's clearly not.

[John Hawkinson]

This software should put USABILITY at the top of its list. It's clearly not.

It's worth noting that there is not universal agreement on this topic.

I recently filled out an Adobe survey for a bunch of Creative Suite products I use, and I was asked to rank Usability, Reliability, Functionality, Ease of Installation, and I think one other category I am forgeting.

In any case, I definitely didn't rank Usability first. For me, InDesign does the things I need to do, and it's much more important to me that it work and not crash than that it be friendly. And there are features I want and need to do my job and again, they are much more important than usability. I rank Usability over Ease of Installation (after all, most people only install once).

This is not to say I'm right. Not at all.

Merely that there are legitimate reasons why usability is not the top priority, and I agree with them.

But even worse, I think, there is not widespread agreement that the dark UI is important to usability. Or even UI consistency across the suite. To me, that stuff is pointless fluff and window dressing. Yeah, sure, I get annoyed that the keyboard command to Go to a Page is different between InDesign (Cmd-J) and Acrobat (Cmd-Shift-N). But for the most part, they are consistent enough to let me get my work done.

Usability is really how easy the software is to use. That doesn't necessarily mean suite integration. It can, for some kinds of users, but not everybody. A lot of InDesign users really don't use the other creative suite products the same way they use InDesign and don't need deep integration and consistency. For some users, maybe suite integration is important. But definitely not everyone.

Anyhow, in case no one mentioned it, there isn't really any reason to think this forum is actively monitored by the InDesign team. If you want to reach them, you can use http://adobe.com/go/wish/. Or perhaps David Blatner's http://indesign.uservoice.com/.

[lvthunder]

They should be more consistant between all the different products.  They are selling it as a suite and now with creative cloud there are going to be a lot more new users to all these apps.  All Adobe is doing now is confusing the new users when a lot of the commands are the same just with a different shortcut.

And yes Adobe is moving away from the MAC and WINDOWS specific dialog boxes.  They want all the training to apply both to the Windows and Mac versions.

And Adobe started this whole trend to the dark UI with Lightroom when it first came out.  In fact in Lightroom you can press L twice and the UI turns black and all you see is your picture.

[MrG3x266]

The answer is simple. It will be a "new feature" in version 6.5 and all you will have to do is upgrade for a nominal fee and you will get an option that should have already been there.

It is sold as a "suite". You would think it would have the same look and feel. The same "theme". A company that specializes in "design" has a train wreck for an interface "new feature".

Adobe must have hired the same people who thought the "Choclate brown" zune would sell like hot cakes because everyone wants a musical turd in their pocket!.

As to keyboard shortcuts...

If there was only a means of customizing keyboard shortcuts and save those as custom sets. Maybe put it under EDIT->Keyboard Shortcuts. That way when Adobe releases Indesign 1.0 They can woo Quark users with a "Quark" keyboard shortcut layout. Who knows? Maybe after introducing that in Indesign 1.0 they could apply that to all of their programs and give true customization to all their flagship programs! Bundle them together (puppy) and call it something catchy like "Creative Suite". But what if Adobe spends all that time trying to figure out how to make a proper custom installer, snazzy splash screens, and spends years trying to figure out how to put flash on iOS and doesn't offer UI features across all products?

The important thing is almost every program has its own interface and we all know that having to stop and look for something is by far the most productive thing a person can do.

Choclate Zune anyone?

[Nicholas Petropoulos]

If I may add my two cents. This supposed 'hot new look' in CS6 is nothing more than a red herring for anyone even the slightest bit concerned with asthetics. I suspect deep down, the 'designers' at Adobe are hell bent on removing all that is special about the MAC interface and slowly replacing it with the bland, square, god awful interfaces that the PC world has accepted as the norm for years. The inconsistencies in the palette designs throughout the suite is just plain lazy. Having vented that, is there anyone else experiencing the NON working spotlight feature in InDesign when opening a document? Please help!

[John Hawkinson]

Is there anyone else experiencing the NON working spotlight feature in InDesign when opening a document? Please help!

Huh?

[Nicholas Petropoulos]

John. In the dialogue box when opening a document, the search (spotlight) feature fails to respond. When in the PLACE dialogue box the search (spotlight) feature works as it should. MAC based.

It's a serious bug.

[John Hawkinson]

You can attach multiple photos in a single post, you know.

That's interesting, I wasn't aware of that feature (I ~never use Spotlight that way).

Your example isn't a good one since the Spotlight query in the Open dialog box should only show files that ID can Open, i.e. .indt, .indl, .indd file types. And Spotlight doesn't know how to search inside InDesign files so you'd need to check the File Name box.

That said, it doesn't seem to work when searching for an INDD file on my desktop, so it is indeed broken. But it seems similarly broken for INDD files in the File > Place dialog.

[Nicholas Petropoulos]

Johh. Screen snap shot of the non functioning spotlight.

[Nicholas Petropoulos]

John. Same command but in the place dialogue box.

[Nicholas Petropoulos]

It is indeed broken John. Hopefully this can be fixed quickly. Ps. It's 'almost' broken in illustrator CS6 as well. Very, very sluggish off the mark when using.

[MrG3x266]

Have you tried rebuilding the Spotlight index and forcing a re-index? This may resolve the issue...

Yes I agree that Adobe appears in some cases to attempt to PC the UI. I have noticed that with the dark UI it seems like all of a sudden Adobe is trying to look like Apple Software interface like FCP or Aperture....

[John Hawkinson]

Well, I was able to replicate the spotlight problem and in my system, filename -based searches work elsewhere in spotlight, and mdfind -name and mdls work fine on the files that don't show up. So I think InDesign is filtering this incorrectly, or otherwise confusing Navigation Services...

Nicholas, sad to say, few bugs get fixed quickly. This one I doubt will be.

Although since it works fine in CS5.5, perhaps it has a chance.

(Oh, yeah, that's another reason why it's almost certainly not an issue with the spotlight index. works fine in cs5.5.)

[Nicholas Petropoulos]

MrG3... I honestly don't understand why Adobe would destroy a perfectly good looking interface. And to make matters worse, having a different UI in each of the CS6 suite.

I know which I'd prefer. (5.5 on right) Alas, onwards we go but at the cost of good design. Perhaps one day, the 'super brains' behind this upgrade might reconsider the 'block' and study the 'porsche' idea to design. If it's great, improve it just a little.

[CaramelMacchiato]

Steve Perry Creative,

Like you, I was perplexed about the inconsistency of darker UI in some apps, and others remain intact as it has been for years. From my perspective, it is confusing especially for those who are new to Adobe apps such as through Adobe Creative Cloud per se.

In my humble opinion, Adobe is already a well-established respected design software company that made billions of dollars in profit year after year and on. I find that it is very ironic that Adobe do not use the software engineering resource very wisely. Thus, it is inconsistency and failed UI design as a whole.

I strongly believe that every Creative Suite product users like myself, Master Collection CS6 Mac, should have the option to have UI options to my perference. I personally like darker UI - just to remove all kind of distractions.

Yet, I do understand on both side of issues, pro and con. But I would think it should give any product users the opportunity to have option whether you want it darker or not, just like famous simple "L" used in Lightroom. If it works nicely, why can't do the same for rest. Come on, Adobe. You can do better.

Brian

[Dave_Breck]

I agree with your sentiment but I really am not sure Adobe can do better. They've had some of these products for 20 years, others through ill-fated acquisition (Macromedia) and as one suite they suffer from poor UI guidance and it's really evident that some of these folks don't even work in the same city much less building. The lack of collaboration is stunning.

The fact that some gorgeous UI products all are products of Adobe is equally disheartening. The fact that clunkiness and inconsistency among command prompts between tools is such a disconnect obviously takes a back seat to the product that people create with these tools.Why Adobe hasn't hired a Jonny Ive (or fired the one who pretends to be his equal) to knock the left brain heads of each product group together I guess only Adobe knows.

I don't think it has much to do with anything other than Adobe right now has little to no competition in many of these areas, and most certainly not in a "suite" fashion that is dominating. Ironically it's also exposing these teams who simply don't talk to one another.Anyone want to put the UI from Acrobat next to Photoshop?

Except Marketing, of course. They sure make it look all pretty when it starts up, be it for the first time (or second, or third, etc etc)

[PBR_PRINT]

All these clever posts... i dont care, I dont care about what yout hink or your logic... i want the same Dark UI, get over it,  its my option to want it, and therefore request it... period...

[John Hawkinson]

OK, I think this thread has run its course. Locking.