Re: Microsoft is here to help!
Hi Adam,
Thanks for chipping in and being keen on improving things. For what it's worth, that attitude's the real solution to this type of problem. However, as this is a broader conversation and you'd like to hear us all, let's discuss this in public so that everyone can join in and benefit :).
Speaking broadly and bluntly, the majority of the Azure Portal is a buggy UX disaster that feels like "My First Single Page Application". It would appear to be designed for tablet use (presumably as part of the MS UI revamp, whatever they're called now. Quick list of annoyances:
- Constant horizontal scrolling required, actual content area constricted by nested panes/trees/blades/whatever
- Poor HTML forcing me to either use the mouse or learn your keyboard shortcuts. Incorrect element choices break my keyboard-shortcut software bindings that are part of my muscle-memory.
- Inconsistent behaviour, sometimes an X icon will close a "thing" (dialog-like behaviour), sometimes it'll shove me back on the dashboard. Thanks.
- Unbookmarkable URI's. I want to bookmark things I use all the time in my browser, just like other websites. URI's have to change when the logical location changes ... otherwise they're kinda worthless. Distinct URI's are for the customer's benefit, they are not the designer's optional choice.
- "Something went wrong"... gee, thanks. WHAT went wrong (these messages appear asynchronously - humans need context too)? Some details please?
Hey, you asked - I can't imagine I'm alone with these frustrations. Usable? Yes. Pleasant and easy? No.