wheresrhys

Below is a list of links to the browser download pages for each of the major web browsers:

• Firefox
• Safari
• Internet Explorer (ie)
• Chrome
• Opera

Each design is essentially the same – a little bit of text, some images (normally of the browser) and a massive link to download the latest version. All, that is, except for ie. (It also bears mentioning that the firefox page commits the usability cardinal sin of not actually mentioning it’s a web browser).

Here is a screenshot of ie’s page. It’s difficult to see on this small image (but click it for bigger), but I thin kit must be one of the most ill-thought out, though supremely important, pages I’ve ever seen:

• Despite ie7 still being the officially stable and sanctioned browser, the most prominent text and download link is for ie8.
• You will already have clicked “get it now” once from the ie home page, but the top part of the home page and the download page are exactly the same, so it looks like “get it now” is just a download link that doesn’t work.
• Once you figure out it’s not the download link you have to scroll down the page to actually download the software. Scrolling down to get to the most important bit of the page?! In the words of Kyle from South Park, “Really??!!”
• You have to choose your operating system in order to download an installer which then downloads components appropriate for your OS. Given that it ends up downloading additional files anyway, why not just make it a generic download that detects your OS and then downloads all the relevant components. Or even detect the OS with javascript, with the select box as a fallback.

It beggars belief that usability mistakes like this can be allowed through.

Having said that, I bet most users never see the page as ie updates automatically… but still!

On two not unrelated notes:

• I wish open source projects, in particular maybe the core design of sourceforge, would make use of prominent download buttons for the latest stable version, instead of the maze of  download links for every version under the sun. It woudl surely increase the use of what can be very useful tools.
• I downloaded ie7 finally as I needed it to install IETester , a great tool for installing ie5.5, ie6. ie7 and ie8 simultaneously on either windows vista or xp.