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The MIRCC principle
by loiswakeman @ 18 Oct. 2006 - 16:41:26

I just visited a web site that came with its very own user manual, taking up the left third of the home page:

"How to best view this website

We designed this website to be viewed on a monitor with a screen resolution of 1024x768 or greater. Using a smaller screen resolution (800x600 or 640x480) may result in the navigation buttons located above this statement to be hidden. Most monitor screen resolutions can be adjusted.

For Macintosh:
Click on the apple in the top left corner to access the control panel. Then click on monitors and adjust the screen resolution to a minimum of 1024x768.

For PC's:
Right click on the desktop and click properties. Then click on settings and adjust the screen resolution to a minimum of 1024x768.

Other helpful suggestions: Close or minimize other windows. Increase the browser display window by clicking on the top right button to maximize it to your monitor or stretch the screen manually by dragging the bottom right corner.

If you have any questions please contact: [webmaster]
Thank you."

You've heard of the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid) - anathema to this designer, obviously. He has instead gone by MIRCC: Make It Really Complicated, Cleverclogs.

The stupid thing is that they only need this raft of instructions because they came up with an inflexible and (rather amateurish these days) design. So I have a helpful suggestion of my own: "Take a running jump; I'm not changing my desktop just for you, mate".

Related link:

http://www.christopherburkett.com/frames/b.html

- also a good illustration of why frames are a bad idea unless implemented knowledgeably. This page is easily found in Google for instance.

7 comments | Permalink | Recommend this post
Tags: frames, kiss, media, usability, web design,

Comments: Hide subcomments

UsksiderUsksider pro
http://www.usksider.co.uk
18/10/06 @ 16:52

They obviously never heaqrd of styles, eh? Not everyone's cup of tea it's true, but one of the best design tools IMHO.

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loiswakemanloiswakeman [Member]
http://lois.co.uk
18/10/06 @ 17:09

Not only that, but the site looks like a 1990s school project (remember Spyglass Mosaic, anyone?) and is done with frames.

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UsksiderUsksider pro
http://www.usksider.co.uk
18/10/06 @ 17:13

Really? Oh dear that's a bit sad. Perhaps someone should point them to the W3C recommendations?

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layreader1810layreader1810 [Member]
24/10/06 @ 16:40

Being a sort of chuck-it-and-chance-it(only use the instructions as a last resort) sort of guy. Give me KISS everytime!!

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loiswakemanloiswakeman [Member]
http://lois.co.uk
24/10/06 @ 16:51

Hmm: as a tech writer, you should be my bugbear ;-)

I write manuals, and no-one ever reads them unless they can't help it! However, KISS is a good principle for us all, and I could write shorter manuals if people abided by it!

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MichaelStMarkMichaelStMark pro
04/11/06 @ 11:08

There's a cute Windows pop-up appearing alongside a frozen mouse pointer with worrying frequency on my PC nowadays.

Essentially it says Windows cannot detect a mouse connection and to click the OK button to proceed.

Click using what, the keyboard?

Had to re-start several times and try different hardware juxtapositions before Mr Mouse thawed out. As my PC guru will probably say when I eventually have to call him in,
" Your computer has issues"

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loiswakemanloiswakeman [Member]
http://lois.co.uk
06/11/06 @ 12:47

Ha! People are a bit careless with using click for everything: they seem to forget that some of us can still use the keyboard! (Have you tried tabbing to get focus on the OK button? It sometimes works.)

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