Word 2007 Learning Curve

When I agreed to write a book about Word 2007, I faced exactly the same
problem you're facing. But, because Word 2007 was the object rather than the
means, I had no choice in the matter. At the outset, I was using Word 2003
to write the book, but at some point, critical productivity mass was
achieved, and I found that new Word 2007 features made me more productive,
and so I wrote the last half of the book using Word 2007.

I don't know if there are "classic" interface tools for Excel, but there are
several for Word 2007:

http://www.addintools.com/english/menuword/

http://pschmid.net/blog/2007/04/20/111

I believe that the second option is free. So, for Word, at least, you have
at least three choices:

1. Bite the bullet and learn Word 2007, knowing that Word 14 will surely
build on Word 2007/12 rather than on Word 2003/11; this is the best option
if you need to keep up with future versions of Word. If it's hard to get
used to the new interface now in Word 12, it will only be more difficult
several years from now with Word 14.

2. Use a classic interface tool, relying on it when you're in a hurry, but
otherwise dabbling and gradually learning the ribbon approach. This is a
good option if Word 2007 has features that you need, but you don't need to
learn Word 2007 in a hurry. There are other learning aids you can use, as
well, such as the interactive guide that shows you where to find Word 2007
commands and features:
http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT10076633...3&vwidt

3. Revert to Word 2003. This is a good option if Word 2003 provides
everything you need and if you won't need to work with documents that rely
upon Word 2007-specific features that aren't preserved when using the Office
2007 Compatibility Pack.

A 4th option--not incompatible with #1 and #2--is to set up Word 2007's
Quick Access Toolbar so that it contains your most-used tools from Word 2003
(do the same for Excel 2007). This is the approach I use for my everyday
work, and it has alleviated a lot of Word 2007's ergonomic inefficiencies.
One approach to this is shown here:

http://word2007bible.herbtyson.com/2007/05/02/making-word-2007-a-littl...ore-fam


--
Herb Tyson MS MVP
Author of the Word 2007 Bible
Blog: http://word2007bible.herbtyson.com
Web: http://www.herbtyson.com
"JMB" <jmb.DeleteThis@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:0AB12808-0879-4AD7-B3EE-57299613C21A@microsoft.com...
> I'll make an honest attempt to give this question/feedback a positive
> twist.
> I have been using Word/Excel etc. for years now and consider myself
> somewhat
> of an expert user. Now I have a new computer with Vista and Office 2007.
> And
> I essentially find myself facing this predicament of going up an
> enormously
> steep learning curve, i.e. relearning how to wordprocess and spreadsheet
> almost from scratch all over again. The new and improved of Office 2007
> apps
> may look much more "politically correct" than in previous versions, but so
> far my experience has been that it can hardly get any less user friendly
> and
> more convoluted than this. I'm giving it a very serious try here, but I'm
> also beginning to think about throwing in the towel. Anybody out there
> that
> can offer any useful advice as to how I can actually start using the
> Office
> 2007 applications without letting all my previous experience and know-how
> completely go to waste?
> --
> JMB

Herb and Susan, thanks for the useful feedback. Like Herb I have no choice,
with my company about to make a massive migration to Vista and Office 2007.
And I can't afford to loose much time and productivity because of this. Hence
my present preparatory work at home in my spare time. So I'll have to bite
the bullet, but this looks like it is going to be a very tough and bitter
one. Quite frankly I fail to understand what Microsoft was/is thinking.
Preparing a new document or spreadsheet seems to be all about coping with the
user interface and appearances now, and in the meantime many people seem to
forget what it is really about, i.e. the contents of the message ... The next
release has been aptly code named MS Office HAB (Hot Air Balloon). On the
other hand I suppose it is also fair to point out that I'm not getting any
younger and possibly my flexibility to adjust is no longer what it used to be.

--
JMB


"Herb Tyson [MVP]" wrote:

> When I agreed to write a book about Word 2007, I faced exactly the same
> problem you're facing. But, because Word 2007 was the object rather than the
> means, I had no choice in the matter. At the outset, I was using Word 2003
> to write the book, but at some point, critical productivity mass was
> achieved, and I found that new Word 2007 features made me more productive,
> and so I wrote the last half of the book using Word 2007.
>
> I don't know if there are "classic" interface tools for Excel, but there are
> several for Word 2007:
>
> http://www.addintools.com/english/menuword/
>
> http://pschmid.net/blog/2007/04/20/111
>
> I believe that the second option is free. So, for Word, at least, you have
> at least three choices:
>
> 1. Bite the bullet and learn Word 2007, knowing that Word 14 will surely
> build on Word 2007/12 rather than on Word 2003/11; this is the best option
> if you need to keep up with future versions of Word. If it's hard to get
> used to the new interface now in Word 12, it will only be more difficult
> several years from now with Word 14.
>
> 2. Use a classic interface tool, relying on it when you're in a hurry, but
> otherwise dabbling and gradually learning the ribbon approach. This is a
> good option if Word 2007 has features that you need, but you don't need to
> learn Word 2007 in a hurry. There are other learning aids you can use, as
> well, such as the interactive guide that shows you where to find Word 2007
> commands and features:
> http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT10076633...3&vwidt
>
> 3. Revert to Word 2003. This is a good option if Word 2003 provides
> everything you need and if you won't need to work with documents that rely
> upon Word 2007-specific features that aren't preserved when using the Office
> 2007 Compatibility Pack.
>
> A 4th option--not incompatible with #1 and #2--is to set up Word 2007's
> Quick Access Toolbar so that it contains your most-used tools from Word 2003
> (do the same for Excel 2007). This is the approach I use for my everyday
> work, and it has alleviated a lot of Word 2007's ergonomic inefficiencies.
> One approach to this is shown here:
>
> http://word2007bible.herbtyson.com/2007/05/02/making-word-2007-a-littl...ore-fam
>
>
> --
> Herb Tyson MS MVP
> Author of the Word 2007 Bible
> Blog: http://word2007bible.herbtyson.com
> Web: http://www.herbtyson.com
> "JMB" <jmb.DeleteThis@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:0AB12808-0879-4AD7-B3EE-57299613C21A@microsoft.com...
> > I'll make an honest attempt to give this question/feedback a positive
> > twist.
> > I have been using Word/Excel etc. for years now and consider myself
> > somewhat
> > of an expert user. Now I have a new computer with Vista and Office 2007.
> > And
> > I essentially find myself facing this predicament of going up an
> > enormously
> > steep learning curve, i.e. relearning how to wordprocess and spreadsheet
> > almost from scratch all over again. The new and improved of Office 2007
> > apps
> > may look much more "politically correct" than in previous versions, but so
> > far my experience has been that it can hardly get any less user friendly
> > and
> > more convoluted than this. I'm giving it a very serious try here, but I'm
> > also beginning to think about throwing in the towel. Anybody out there
> > that
> > can offer any useful advice as to how I can actually start using the
> > Office
> > 2007 applications without letting all my previous experience and know-how
> > completely go to waste?
> > --
> > JMB
>
>

Use the QAT as much as possible to collect your most frequently used tools.
One good thing about Office 2007 is that it's really easy to add items to
the QAT. Right-click what you want, and choose Add to Quick Access Toolbar.
The other thing that will make it less of a pain (literally) is to move the
QAT to below the ribbon. That way, it will a shorter mouse journey, and
easier to access. (Right-click the QAT and choose "Show QAT Below the
Ribbon".) The QAT has been my salvation.

--
Herb Tyson MS MVP
Author of the Word 2007 Bible
Blog: http://word2007bible.herbtyson.com
Web: http://www.herbtyson.com
"JMB" <jmb.RemoveThis@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:9653F319-18ED-45D8-ADCB-1B293BBDCCBE@microsoft.com...
> Herb and Susan, thanks for the useful feedback. Like Herb I have no
> choice,
> with my company about to make a massive migration to Vista and Office
> 2007.
> And I can't afford to loose much time and productivity because of this.
> Hence
> my present preparatory work at home in my spare time. So I'll have to bite
> the bullet, but this looks like it is going to be a very tough and bitter
> one. Quite frankly I fail to understand what Microsoft was/is thinking.
> Preparing a new document or spreadsheet seems to be all about coping with
> the
> user interface and appearances now, and in the meantime many people seem
> to
> forget what it is really about, i.e. the contents of the message ... The
> next
> release has been aptly code named MS Office HAB (Hot Air Balloon). On the
> other hand I suppose it is also fair to point out that I'm not getting any
> younger and possibly my flexibility to adjust is no longer what it used to
> be.
>
> --
> JMB
>
>
> "Herb Tyson [MVP]" wrote:
>
>> When I agreed to write a book about Word 2007, I faced exactly the same
>> problem you're facing. But, because Word 2007 was the object rather than
>> the
>> means, I had no choice in the matter. At the outset, I was using Word
>> 2003
>> to write the book, but at some point, critical productivity mass was
>> achieved, and I found that new Word 2007 features made me more
>> productive,
>> and so I wrote the last half of the book using Word 2007.
>>
>> I don't know if there are "classic" interface tools for Excel, but there
>> are
>> several for Word 2007:
>>
>> http://www.addintools.com/english/menuword/
>>
>> http://pschmid.net/blog/2007/04/20/111
>>
>> I believe that the second option is free. So, for Word, at least, you
>> have
>> at least three choices:
>>
>> 1. Bite the bullet and learn Word 2007, knowing that Word 14 will surely
>> build on Word 2007/12 rather than on Word 2003/11; this is the best
>> option
>> if you need to keep up with future versions of Word. If it's hard to get
>> used to the new interface now in Word 12, it will only be more difficult
>> several years from now with Word 14.
>>
>> 2. Use a classic interface tool, relying on it when you're in a hurry,
>> but
>> otherwise dabbling and gradually learning the ribbon approach. This is a
>> good option if Word 2007 has features that you need, but you don't need
>> to
>> learn Word 2007 in a hurry. There are other learning aids you can use, as
>> well, such as the interactive guide that shows you where to find Word
>> 2007
>> commands and features:
>> http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT10076633...3&vwidt
>>
>> 3. Revert to Word 2003. This is a good option if Word 2003 provides
>> everything you need and if you won't need to work with documents that
>> rely
>> upon Word 2007-specific features that aren't preserved when using the
>> Office
>> 2007 Compatibility Pack.
>>
>> A 4th option--not incompatible with #1 and #2--is to set up Word 2007's
>> Quick Access Toolbar so that it contains your most-used tools from Word
>> 2003
>> (do the same for Excel 2007). This is the approach I use for my everyday
>> work, and it has alleviated a lot of Word 2007's ergonomic
>> inefficiencies.
>> One approach to this is shown here:
>>
>> http://word2007bible.herbtyson.com/2007/05/02/making-word-2007-a-littl...ore-fam
>>
>>
>> --
>> Herb Tyson MS MVP
>> Author of the Word 2007 Bible
>> Blog: http://word2007bible.herbtyson.com
>> Web: http://www.herbtyson.com
>> "JMB" <jmb.RemoveThis@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:0AB12808-0879-4AD7-B3EE-57299613C21A@microsoft.com...
>> > I'll make an honest attempt to give this question/feedback a positive
>> > twist.
>> > I have been using Word/Excel etc. for years now and consider myself
>> > somewhat
>> > of an expert user. Now I have a new computer with Vista and Office
>> > 2007.
>> > And
>> > I essentially find myself facing this predicament of going up an
>> > enormously
>> > steep learning curve, i.e. relearning how to wordprocess and
>> > spreadsheet
>> > almost from scratch all over again. The new and improved of Office 2007
>> > apps
>> > may look much more "politically correct" than in previous versions, but
>> > so
>> > far my experience has been that it can hardly get any less user
>> > friendly
>> > and
>> > more convoluted than this. I'm giving it a very serious try here, but
>> > I'm
>> > also beginning to think about throwing in the towel. Anybody out there
>> > that
>> > can offer any useful advice as to how I can actually start using the
>> > Office
>> > 2007 applications without letting all my previous experience and
>> > know-how
>> > completely go to waste?
>> > --
>> > JMB
>>
>>

On Wed, 26 Dec 2007 19:00:00 -0800, JMB <jmb.RemoveThis@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

>Herb and Susan, thanks for the useful feedback. Like Herb I have no choice,
>with my company about to make a massive migration to Vista and Office 2007.
>And I can't afford to loose much time and productivity because of this. Hence
>my present preparatory work at home in my spare time. So I'll have to bite
>the bullet, but this looks like it is going to be a very tough and bitter
>one. Quite frankly I fail to understand what Microsoft was/is thinking.
>Preparing a new document or spreadsheet seems to be all about coping with the
>user interface and appearances now, and in the meantime many people seem to
>forget what it is really about, i.e. the contents of the message ... The next
>release has been aptly code named MS Office HAB (Hot Air Balloon). On the
>other hand I suppose it is also fair to point out that I'm not getting any
>younger and possibly my flexibility to adjust is no longer what it used to be.

For the "why", you may want to read the 8-part series by Jensen Harris, the lead
of the UI team, starting from the "table of contents" at
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/archive/tags/All+Office+2007+UI+Posts/Wh...he+New+
It may help to have some of this background.

For the most part, I find that I do things in Word 2007 the same way I did them
in earlier versions; only the locations of the commands are different. Yes, it
takes some effort to store the new locations in permanent memory. And despite
the "new is better" facade, it's clear that some things aren't in logical
positions -- but they weren't necessarily in logical places before, just ones
that we were used to. (What the heck is a "Tools" menu, anyway? Isn't everything
a tool of one kind or another?)

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all may benefit.

In addition to the excellent suggestions from others, I've found it quite
helpful to pay particular attention to the "Dialog Launcher" buttons that
appear on the right end of the group name bar of many of the tabs - they
look like a little square with a diagonal arrow within it... In most cases
the dialogs or Task Panes they evoke are virtually identical to what you're
accustomed to using in previous versions.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac



On 12/26/07 10:00 PM, in article
9653F319-18ED-45D8-ADCB-1B293BBDCCBE.TakeThisOut@microsoft.com, "JMB"
<jmb.TakeThisOut@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> Herb and Susan, thanks for the useful feedback. Like Herb I have no choice,
> with my company about to make a massive migration to Vista and Office 2007.
> And I can't afford to loose much time and productivity because of this. Hence
> my present preparatory work at home in my spare time. So I'll have to bite
> the bullet, but this looks like it is going to be a very tough and bitter
> one. Quite frankly I fail to understand what Microsoft was/is thinking.
> Preparing a new document or spreadsheet seems to be all about coping with the
> user interface and appearances now, and in the meantime many people seem to
> forget what it is really about, i.e. the contents of the message ... The next
> release has been aptly code named MS Office HAB (Hot Air Balloon). On the
> other hand I suppose it is also fair to point out that I'm not getting any
> younger and possibly my flexibility to adjust is no longer what it used to be.

I felt the same way when I first started using Office 2007. My trusty menus
and toolbars were gone and it seemed like it took more clicks to accomplish
a task than the previous versions. I hated it, I hated every minute I spent
with it. BUT then I started discovering the new features that were
introduced and ever since then I've never looked back. The key is two-fold.

1) If you are trying to use the applications exactly as you did in the past
you may find it more cumbersome. 2) While some tasks take more clicks other
tasks, many tasks that used to involved several changes have been reduced to
a couple clicks. I found the time-saving steps are a bit of a trade-off.
Take the Margin galleries for a quick example. If you need to modify your
margins, several frequently used options are available on the Page Layout
tab in the Margins gallery for Word and Excel. All you have to do is open
the gallery, click your selection, and the margins are changed for you.

I suspect once you learn how to efficiently use the new UI then you'll
discover as I did, and numerous others who hated it initially too, things
you wondered how you ever lived without. Here are a few tips and
resources that may help:
- Learn more about the Quick Access Toolbar (the small toolbar next to the
Microsoft Office Button that has Save and Undo on it by default). It's easy
to customize and add those commands you frequently use. To add a command,
right-click the command, either on the Ribbon or those found under the
Microsoft Office Button, and then click "Add to Quick Access Toolbar". To
add an entire group, such as the Font group on the Home tab, right-click the
group name instead of a command in the group. To remove a command,
right-click it and you'll see the Remove command. To reorganize commands,
right-click the Quick Access Toolbar and then click "Customize the Quick
Access Toolbar". I set mine up in the beginning so it looked exactly like
the first part of the old Standard toolbar and the first part of the
Formatting toolbar. What a difference that made!

- Right-click *everything*. Unlike previous versions, some commands can only
be found by right-clicking a command. This includes the Galleries as well.

- Use Interactive Guides to help you find commands you're unable to locate.
They can be found in Help or by using these links:

Excel : http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/HA101491511033.aspx


PowerPoint: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint/HA101490761033.aspx


Word: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/HA100744321033.aspx


- Spend a little time on Office Online. It contains a wealth of resources
from tips and tricks to training.

Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for
assistance by email cannot be acknowledged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP

Coauthor of Word 2007 Inside Out:
http://www.microsoft.com/MSPress/books/9801.aspx#AboutTheBook

Word FAQ: http://mvps.org/word
TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
MVP FAQ site: http://mvps.org/

"JMB" <jmb DeleteThis @discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:0AB12808-0879-4AD7-B3EE-57299613C21A@microsoft.com...
> I'll make an honest attempt to give this question/feedback a positive
> twist.
> I have been using Word/Excel etc. for years now and consider myself
> somewhat
> of an expert user. Now I have a new computer with Vista and Office 2007.
> And
> I essentially find myself facing this predicament of going up an
> enormously
> steep learning curve, i.e. relearning how to wordprocess and spreadsheet
> almost from scratch all over again. The new and improved of Office 2007
> apps
> may look much more "politically correct" than in previous versions, but so
> far my experience has been that it can hardly get any less user friendly
> and
> more convoluted than this. I'm giving it a very serious try here, but I'm
> also beginning to think about throwing in the towel. Anybody out there
> that
> can offer any useful advice as to how I can actually start using the
> Office
> 2007 applications without letting all my previous experience and know-how
> completely go to waste?
> --
> JMB