Microsoft Download UI - FAIL
Say you’re a Firefox user considering switching to Internet Explorer. If you Google download internet explorer you end up at the Get It Now page.
You would think clicking the “Get It Now” button would initiate a download of what you are looking for. But it doesn’t. You would think clicking any of the items circled in red might initiate a download; they don’t. Instead you need to look all the way below the fold to find the drop down I’ve circled in black.
This page is different than the one presented to Internet Explorer users but yet isn’t optimized around the user scenario of “so you’re a Firefox user looking to make the switch back.” There is no easy download button, no automatic OS detection, no messaging around why IE is better (is it?)
FAIL.
And if you think this is the only case of bad download design on Microsoft.com it is. The other day I had to download Virtual PC and I had to ASK SOMEONE how to download it.
The fatal and common flaw their pages share is the third hierarchy of tabs uses a button visual instead of a tab visual.