Grayed Out Text for Read Messages in Message List above Bottom Reading Pane Made Difficult to Read in Outlook for Mac 15.31 Update

Question

Grayed Out Text for Read Messages in Message List above Bottom Reading Pane Made Difficult to Read in Outlook for Mac 15.31 Update

Anonymous

I am using the bottom reading pane option in OFM 2016, mainly because I find the right reading pane option unacceptable because of the reduced number of messages that can be viewed. The message list for the bottom reading was a refuge for me. Now it is afflicted w/same virus (lack of design sensibilities) that has ruined the message list in the right reading pane view.

Now having gotten used the message list in the reading pane, the product managers at OFM 2016 have changed the font stroke weight of the unread message so they are light gray, making them much harder to read. The light gray works for the message list when the right reading pane is enabled because it provides contrast. It does the opposite when there is simply a list of messages. Showing the unread messages in bold and the read messages in normal stroke weight (not grayed out) provides a much better user experience avoids eyestrain.

This new change, introduced in 15.31 is unwelcome and frustrates the expectations of users. It makes the text less accessible to the human eye and is not a good design. It causes needless eyestrain.

Please change it back to where it was previously where unread messages were in bold and read messages were in normal stroke weight (non-bold regular text).

Here are some examples. Because Microsoft converts these images to a very low resolution (ill-advised), the differences below are not as stark as they are on a computer displaying these as normal high res images. Believe me, the read messages in the message list look much worse than appears below.

Unread messages [mostly] (these are easy to read):

Read messages - these are very diffcult read because en masse the greyed out messages require more eye concentration to glean what is there. Imagine looking at the last line of an eye chart all day and straining to make out th letters.

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9 answers

Answer 1

Hi Richard,

Sorry to hear but really appreciate your feedback.

We work on continuous updates to the product and UI / UX will evolve fairly quickly and feedback, like yours, is very valuable esp when changes don't resonate well. I completely understand that you want to roll back and thanks for willingness to try out future builds in VM before deciding whether the evolution is right for your needs.

Thanks,

Sunder

Answer 2

I understand your limitations as a moderator. Thanks Looks like I'm still listed an insider and that is permanent. Since I have resigned the program and turned off auto updates, I have no idea about the winds of change that Sunder and his team are unleashing on OFM 2016 and my blood pressure has gone down as a result.

One of these days, I will install the latest version fo OFM in a VM and see what it looks like.

Richard

Answer 3

Thanks for all the feedback on this change. We have an update to this based on all the feedback. If you are opted into Insider Fast program, you'll see it in an upcoming update.

Thanks,

Sunder

PM Manager | Outlook for Mac

Hi Sunder,

It's great you made this change. Below is a copy of another post I made on this forum. See Discussion You are subscribed to this thread Applies to Office Outlook Mac Office 2016 for Mac 20 views A special message to Jim Gordon Mac MVP and Followers of My Posts re: Outlook for Mac's Inbox Message List

Basically, I have through some stroke of luck, returned my Office for Mac 2016 all the way back to some version that is 6-9 months old that has the inbox I was used to in terms of styling and design. I have completely washed my hands of any changes (often ill-timed and ill-conceived) that your product group regularly makes nd then incorporates in production versions. I am bascially now treating the software as if shipped on a CD like historical verisons of Office. I have auto updates turned off.

Instead of having a laser focus on adding features that are truly useful for users such as moving the search box so its above the inbox, inserting tables, having a format painter, and being able to customize the toolbar, your group as focussed on marginal features such as the @mention which interferes/disrupts workflow and is useful with Twitter, not a WP processing program and upsetting settled expecations on the UI. Plus bugs are often introduced. And getting them fixed is like getting a reservation changed when thousands of flights are grounded for bad weather. I cannot live w/this constant state of change visavis the UI. Office 2016 and the Outlook app are great programs. I'm glad to be rid of your updates.

Richard

Sorry for the typos - there is no spellchecker in the toolbar for this app.

re:

Distressing Changes to Outlook for 2016 Message List in Inbox and Other Folders in 15.27
Inbox Message List White Space Increased and Font Enlarged in Outlook Inbox Message List
Grayed Out Text for Read Messages in Message List above Bottom Reading Pane Made Difficult to Read in Outlook for Mac 15.31 Update

I just uninstalled 15.31, resigned the Insider Program (slow and faster) selected manual update on, and deleted com.microsoft.autoupdate.helper and then ran this script: defaults write com.microsoft.autoupdate2 HowToCheck -string “Manual” By some miracle, the Inbox that I have now, that purports to be from 15.30 has reverted all the way back to the way it was when there was blue text for unread messages and an appropriately sized and easy to read Inbox.

I thought I must have been dreaming. When I saw that I went back to using the right panel for preview and it looks like it did last August. Iwill never, ever, ever again update the Outlook Component of Office for Mac 2016 software, no matter what features they add. The last six months of complaining about unfortunate changes to the interface has been a time drain and I'm happy to have recovered the UI I had gotten used to. I have a pretty low opinion of the work of the design team for this application.

Answer 4

Hi Charm,

Moderators have no control over the badges. In the left panel there is a Categories pop-up. Look at the bottom of the pop-up menu and see if there is a forum available to you regarding forum issues. If you can't find a suitable forum or contact method to the forum owners I can try to figure out who to send your request to. I suspect the badge is automatically generated. If your AutoUpdate status is set to an Insider program, the Insider badge should display. If you've got it set to regular updates, I would expect the Insider badge to disappear eventually (i would think it would take a month or so).

Moderators do not have the ability to use the private message feature. That's reserved for Microsoft employees. We're just volunteers.

I move messages to Insider forums based on the build number being referred to in the message. I never look at the Insider badge status.

Answer 5

Anonymous

Thanks for all the feedback on this change. We have an update to this based on all the feedback. If you are opted into Insider Fast program, you'll see it in an upcoming update.

Thanks,

Sunder

PM Manager | Outlook for Mac

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