Microsoft Office 2007 – The Fluent User Interface

In 2007, Microsoft unrolled the changes they made to their Office products. One of the biggest changes made was the "ribbon" which is now officially referred to as the Office Fluent user interface.

This new interface has made Microsoft Office 2007 training a necessity, even for older Office users. The interface is actually a good idea. It breaks down the software into several general tasks such as Page Layout, Review, and View as well as specific tasks per program such as Mailings (Word) and Formulas (Excel). This makes it easy for new users to get started with some of the more complex features. For example, clicking the Mailings tab in Word groups most of the tools required such as Envelopes and Labels as well as the Mail Merge tools.

However, because of this redesign, older users often can't find the commands that used to be elsewhere in the software, making Microsoft Office 2007 training a must for new and existing users alike.

While new users will get more out of Microsoft Office 2007 training, existing users ought to consider taking a quick course so that they can avoid the frustration of trying to figure it out on their own.