14 DAY TRIAL // When Microsoft released Office 2010 public Beta 14.0.4536.1000 and subsequently, when Build 14.0.4730.1007 pre-RTM was leaked, I covered the two products in articles totaling a few thousand words and 175 screenshots. But I merely scratched the surface of what is Office 2010. At the same time, looking at my own experiences with Office as well as of those around me, it’s clear that the vast majority of people are only using a combination of features that makes up the tip of the productivity suite’s iceberg. There’s much more beneath the surface, but of course, the main impediment is the lack of incentives to drive discoverability. A new project from Microsoft Office Labs might be the answer to resolve this issue: Ribbon Hero.
With the availability of Office 2007 alongside Windows Vista, Microsoft overhauled the graphical user interface for components of the productivity suite. The Fluent/Ribbon GUI was subsequently perfected for Office 2010. However, Microsoft received criticism for the Ribbon from users that missed the old Office UI, and were less than happy with the perspective of browsing for a command or option in a new UI which differed dramatically from the old menu style approach.
“Ribbon Hero is a game for Word, PowerPoint, and Excel 2007 and 2010, designed to help you boost your Office skills and knowledge. Play games (aka "challenges"), score points, and compete with your friends while improving your productivity with Office. As a concept test, this add-in is not supported, but is an opportunity for you to try out an idea we are working on and let us know what you think. For additional challenges and the opportunity to earn more points, download Office 2010 Beta,” reads the description from Microsoft Office Labs.
Ribbon Hero works on both Windows Vista and Windows 7, as an add-in in combination with the Word, PowerPoint, and Excel components of Office 2010 and Office 2007. It allows users to earn points by simply using Office 2007 or 2010 and performing mundane tasks. At the same time, it is capable of offering challenges, that when completed will boost user scores. And what is a game if you play it alone? Ribbon Hero can be connected to Facebook, allowing customers to share scores with friends for a competitive edge.
“Ribbon Hero watches what features you do and don’t use, and then it recommends challenges for you to play, to hopefully expose you to new features. The first time you complete a challenge, you’ll earn points. But then we want you to use those same features in the app (on another day) to prove you’ve mastered those features! You can max out a feature by using it twice, on two separate days – and only one of those times can you get points from playing the challenge,” revealed Jennifer Michelstein, a program manager in Office Labs.
Only users of Office 2010 will be able to get a perfect score at Ribbon Hero, as the game is focused primarily on features introduced in the latest iteration of the productivity suite and that are simply missing from Office 2007.
Ribbon Hero is available for download here.
Office 2010 Beta 14.0.4536.1000 is available for download here.