At first glance, I felt lost. Like a complete novice, I had to ask how to load a saved file because the traditional pull-down menus have disappeared (hint: the file options are tucked under the oversized Office button on the far left).
Why take away the familiar interface we’ve come to love (and hate) over the years? We tend to think and work visually, so having functions grouped intuitively with visual cues encourages us to explore the hidden capabilities of the software.
Using the context-sensitive tabs, I experimented with features that were new to me, but have probably been available since Office XP or Office 2003. At this point, Word and Excel have essentially all the features you’ll ever need, so it makes sense that Microsoft would concentrate on making those features more easily accessible (think Microsoft Bob on steroids).
The biggest benefits will come to users who are new to Office. The rest of us will have to relearn and adapt, while wondering why it took Microsoft so long to break free from the confines of a one-size-fits-all interface.