[cla]

So you really want to see a bad user interface?

After clicking the link below, stop the movie at exactly 32 seconds:
YouTube - Playstation 3 User Interface- Direct Feed

You should now see four icons in the top row and a green (and from the look of it, stoned) smilie underneath. This could be a menu system of some sort... Now, you should (besides figuring out where your cursor is) be able to tell what these four icons do. So we have:

1) the happy arrow pointing upwards
2) the briefcase with eyes on it
3) the tooth
4) the happy dice

Keep in mind that this is the first screen of the menu system – and that many non-technical users will throw in their towel if they can't figure it out by just looking at it. (Until yesterday I thought those kind of interfaces were a thing of the past. At least from corporations like Sony.)

Under that happy arrow pointing upwards there's an explanation in text. Apparently Sony thought a happy arrow wasn't enough for us to understand what a happy arrow can do for us, which brings us to the next flaw: why not print the meaning of the tooth, the happy dice and the briefcase with eyes on it? As you'll see, it's not as if the text wouldn't fit ("settings", "game" and "friends").

In an attempt to create a cool looking, non-cluttered interface, they managed to create... I don't know.

Let's run the video again. Apparently, the stoned smilie wasn't a cursor but let's not dwell into that. Instead, pay attention to that little menu movement at 0:54. Saw that? No? Confused? Lost focus on the whole navigation process? I had to watch the sequence a couple of times to understand what's going on. Sony's UI team probably recognized this as a problem and made the transition into an animation, which was watched a hundred times by the designers who thought the animation was to slow and sped it up until it lost its purpose. (It's not the transition Sony, it's the interface. You're using a TV-sized screen to display a simple menu, and you're failing.)

Run the video to the end and notice the ingenious design decision behind displaying the menu items: Transparency!! (weeeeeeeeeeh) Not only will the transparency make them hard to read on a non-state-of-the-art TV, the text of the sub menu sometimes floats on top of the icons in the background, making things even harder.

Every menu choice presents a wizard where you can either choose something, go forward, go back or cancel (in the bottom). So if I regret a choice, when should I choose back and when should I choose cancel? Does it matter if I choose something first? (I'm sure you have the answer Sony, and I'm sure it's a bad answer.)

"Very straight forward, very user friendly"

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Looks like the PSP and it is pretty good.

[Eug]

1) Don't knock it 'til you try it.
2) Looks OK to me, even if it isn't perfect.

And I say this as someone who has no intention of buying a PS3. (I have an Xbox 360.)

[tutelary]

they are

1)a house
2)a toolbox
3)a playstation controller
4)multiplayer/online menu (two faces)

dont smack talk if you cant even identify the icons.

and btw: this is a direct reflection of how the psp menu system works, so everything you bitch about is flawed. Basically your opinion is both useless and stupid, and its proven so because you have obviously never used a psp or you would have been able to reference the interface.

I'm not a sony fan in the least, but theres nothing wrong with the interface.

[starman]

Love it. Just like the PSP.

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally Posted by tutelary

Basically you're opinion is both useless and stupid,

Irony.

[mitchell_pgh]

I'm NOT a gamer, but received a PSP for my birthday (primarily for watching movies while on my way to work).

The navigation IMHO is VERY simplistic. It actually reminds me of the iPod a bit.

[Salty]

Honestly I don't see the problem. Looks decent.

[goMac]

I didn't have trouble recognizing the icons, and it does look better than the PS2 interface. Of course, that's not saying much.

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by tutelary

they are

1)a house
2)a toolbox
3)a playstation controller
4)multiplayer/online menu (two faces)

dont smack talk if you cant even identify the icons.

Disclaimer: I'm not a gamer, don't own a game system, and the most technically advanced game I've ever played was the Marathon series back in the 90s. So I may not know what I'm talking about WRT game systems, but:

I pretty much had the same impression of the icons as the OP. I figured out the controller, but the first two icons look nothing like a house or a toolbox. Furthermore, if it's difficult to identify the icons, I think that would be part of the OP's point, rather than a point against him.

[tutelary]

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - -

Irony.

yeah. comes from being tired, not from being stupid. I'll take the head-knocking for that one, I deserve it.

[tutelary]

Originally Posted by CharlesS

Disclaimer: I'm not a gamer, don't own a game system, and the most technically advanced game I've ever played was the Marathon series back in the 90s. So I may not know what I'm talking about WRT game systems, but:

I pretty much had the same impression of the icons as the OP. I figured out the controller, but the first two icons look nothing like a house or a toolbox. Furthermore, if it's difficult to identify the icons, I think that would be part of the OP's point, rather than a point against him.

no, its difficult to identify them on a screen of micro sized resolution in an internet video. I really doubt you'd have that problem at 1920x1080/1280x720 or even at 480i

[Gamoe]

Originally Posted by tutelary

...dont smack talk if you cant even identify the icons...

Originally Posted by tutelary

...so everything you bitch about is flawed. Basically your opinion is both useless and stupid...

Is that truly necessary? Why the attack and the attitude? Would you say that to the poster face to face?


That said, I didn't find the menu interface very innovative at all, but I don't think it's any worse than any of the other usual on-screen interfaces out there and it seems like it might be practical. I don't see why the icons couldn't be bigger though. If the game is paused when accessing the menu, I don't see why the menu couldn't take up the entire display instead.

[angelmb]

Please, could anyone post a snapshot of such PS3 UI?, thanks.

[Judge_Fire]

The interface may be non-intuitive when looking at it, but it affords exploration by being fast to use and limited in scope. It rewards exploration with textually accompanied icons, so it's not a big mystery puzzle without textual semantics.

The items remain stationary in relation to the item hierarchy, so it is possible to learn to use it in a sort of spatial way, by remembering where things are. This is good.

One shouldn't be afraid of a bit of learning when it comes to user interfaces, this should not be confused with hostility towards the user. In this case, the threshold is low and the benefits, such as consistency, are many.

[starman]

It's really not that different from File Edit Window Help.

Mac people should appreciate that.

[Adam Betts]

I like the simplicity but man it's gonna be hard to read the text on non-HDTV.

I think they went a little too far on saving screen space. They should enlarge text a bit and add a horizontal bar behind main icons.

That kind of interface obviously worked well on PSP but for TV, honestly I'm not so sure, especially white color on bright blue.

I prefer older PS3 interface:

[Landos Mustache]

Originally Posted by Adam Betts

That kind of interface obviously worked well on PSP but for TV, honestly I'm not so sure, especially white color on bright blue.[/img]

I know you didn't hear it but they mention the background will change and be customizable (like the PSP). They are also going to glitz it up a bit as that was only a dev box.

[angelmb]

oh well, nobody cared to post an image…

Nevertheless, it has to be better than last HP MediaSmart TVs UI effort …

[Velocity211]

How is that bad? It's the PSP user interface and that's the best user interface yet. It can be customized like the PSP. I really don't get why people call this interface bad and say that the 360 interface is good.

[Landos Mustache]

Originally Posted by Velocity211

How is that bad? It's the PSP user interface and that's the best user interface yet. It can be customized like the PSP. I really don't get why people call this interface bad and say that the 360 interface is good.

Honestly I do find the 360's easier to learn and use but the PSP's is almost as easy and looks a bit cooler.

[alex_kac]

I think the issue is that the PSP interface is awesome on a device the size of the PSP. But on a large screen TV it may not work as well. We'll have to see.

[Naaaaak]

Text and icons look far too small. TV res is not as clear.