Why do you need a Ribbon? 

A few days ago someone showed some ideas for portal site for one of our customers and said: "I think they want a Ribbon, whatever". Well, of course the Ribbon is the fancy new toolbar of the Office 2007 suite, easy as cake. But then you start to think. Why does a portal, or any other application need a Ribbon? Why does Microsoft reinvent the toolbar every few years? Surely when Microsoft rolls out a flagship product like Office with it, it must mean something.

It is quite simple: people are good at pictures. You only need a glimpse of some 16x16 pixel button you used once, to remember its function when you see it again. Toolbars have always been a solid part of the graphical user interface, right from the start. The rule is, put all frequently used commands and functionalities in a toolbar as long as it doesn't eat up all client, or user area, of your window. Now what if your application holds hundreds of more or less frequently used commands and functions or even in the range of 1000? Some users use one set of functions a lot, and some use another set. Even at 16x16 pixels this will take up the full screen.

Suddenly you can see why Microsoft focuses on the toolbar and invents ways to make them flexible and as usable as possible. They need to be context sensitive, compact and adaptable to make sure all your most needed commands are one, visually attractive, click away. That is why Office 2007 has a Ribbon. Also, Microsoft will always thoroughly test the usability of any new UI. So if your program or web application has hundreds of commands and functions and you want to make sure your users find their way in it, think Ribbon. The only downside is that your graphic designer will need to do overtime.