some ways it is hardest for people who know Office the best," Larson-Green said.
For most people, though, Microsoft believes its new interface will be far more palatable than today's way of doing things.
When editing in Word, for example, the ribbon presents only those choices that have directly to do with formatting content. And even then, the goal is not to present every possible option, but rather the couple dozen choices that represent the majority of the clicks people typically make.
"You use things like 'bold' a lot more often than you change your margins," Larson-Green said.
In addition to the ribbon, Microsoft is introducing a number of other design concepts to help people find more of the features buried inside the Office tools. One of the new ideas is the "galleries" concept, in which a range of more complex, frequently used editing choices are offered as clickable options. Those who don't find a template they want can always create a custom alternative using a dialog box.
Microsoft is also adding a "live preview" option that displays the impact of such choices prior to accepting a change.
Though pervasive, Microsoft's new design is not found across all of the Office applications. The new look is a central part of Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Access. It also shows up in Outlook when the user is composing e-mail or setting up a meeting, though the main window in that program remains largely similar in design to that in Office 2003.
Reaction among those outside Redmond was mixed, but many did applaud Microsoft for taking some risks with its venerable suite. Among those was Tim St. Clair, a 30-year-old Web developer from Australia who has been using the rival OpenOffice software program.
"Office 12 isn't just a set of new features, it's a ground-up rewrite of all the tools, with an emphasis on task-based functionality," St. Clair wrote on his Web site, adding later: "I like what I'm hearing and seeing with 12. Can't wait to get my hands on a beta."
Although the design changes are meant to increase efficiency, Gartenberg cautioned that there may be a period of lessened productivity as workers play around with all of the new options. Such was the case in the 1980s, he recalled, when he and others first had the ability to easily change fonts and sizes.
"I think everyone went through that period, none of which was terribly productive," Gartenberg said. "Exposure to more features does not necessarily indicate more productivity."
He also noted that the changes Microsoft is making to Office could have a broader impact on the Windows universe.
"It means that Office is not going to work like most Windows applications do," he said. "That's got to be disconcerting, if you are developing other Windows applications."
Still, the analyst noted that other developers may take a cue from Office as they, too, grapple with programs that are outgrowing a menu-driven design. "Certainly there are many other applications out there that could benefit from a face lift much like Office (is getting)," he said.
News.com's Mike Ricciuti contributed to this report.
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