Against Skeuomorphism CCleaner 5.00 Is An Improvement...

[waika]

I regard CCleaner 5.00.5050 as a pleasant move away from skeuomorphism, there are still some minor eye sores that defeat the purpose of getting away from skeuomorphic design; ergo:

· greater ease in avoiding mixed design metaphors that are confusing
· avoiding color chaos lacking functional design cues
· limitations of poor layout that offer no form that follows function
· different pseudo depth effects with no continuity applied do same depth elements
· conflicting pseudo light and gradient effects with ostensibly the same pseudo light source

Only the last two are still conspicuously present on CrapCleaner 5.00.5050 in breaking the Windows 8.x 'Modern' interface; the Escher like overlap on the left button bar being the most obvious -- ouch!

One of the benefits of non-skeuomorphic design is the eye fatigue of false (and often conflicting) depth and light cues endemic to skeuomorphic design can be completely avoided; there's plenty of R&D and testing that shows this not only works when executed properly it works very well. Some may not feel it's as 'pretty' but it's a lot easier on the eyes in terms of your brain making sense out of what it's seeing that will lead to less eye fatigue; this is why all mission critical and military displays and MFD interfaces avoid skeuomorphic design like the plague.

 

While the Windows 8 (NT 6.2) interface is not the high watermark in interface design, it does offer a substantial improvement in reconciling many of issues that are endemic to the Windows 7 (NT 6.1 and previous) interface failings, it's obviously a direction Microsoft intends to continue, and the design guidelines are well researched, exhaustively tested, with literally millions spent on the R&D. Why not benefit from that?

Like it or not a disparate and contrasty interface design is not, and never has been good branding, attractive, or a successful marketing tool -- most in-depth marketing research shows that software that looks like it's an integrated part of the platform has been found to be more appealing and sells better where all other things are equal.

It's not difficult to understand why this is in fact the case when the actual BRAND (logo, company and/or product name) becomes the locus and focus of user attention, and is not buried in a confusing Kafkaesque interfaces with absurdly large and histrionically embellished control layout that is more of a trip to anxiety for most Users they want to close as soon as their done using then interface, then a solution that looks like part of the OS, and warms them to a brand.

 

Raise the bar of integration, follow the MS Guidelines, turn the sidebar in to an expandable context sensitive Windows Explorer style 'Ribbon' that organizes and exposes CCleaner's features heuristically. These are the controls and interface language that your future Users will be most familiar with; and those new to discover applications inspired by Windows 9.x Taligent inspired interface design will regard that approach is unfamiliar, old, and cumbersome...

[John Puccio]

Personally, I find the new Ver. 5.00.50.50 ugly beyond belief. The square, boxy, colorfully showy design looks to me like something out of a 1950's living room. Without a little more contrast and outlining, I find the new interface harder to read, too. Since the new interface is the only thing I see that's different about this update, I have to ask "Why?" Were users really clamoring for new colors and design? I wish programmers would stop messing with things that are already working fine and concentrate on improving the mechanics of a product. But who am I to complain? I use the free version, and it's still probably the best free program on the Internet, short of Google Chrome.