Today Microsoft released Silverlight 1.0 (final version), which isn't that spectacular since the version we need is actually Silverlight 1.1 (coming out later). But, since I am "fiddling" with Silverlight I immediately went to download the latest version - and that turn out to be a bit of a marathon.
I started out on the MSDN page - and clicked on the link "Download the final release of Silverlight 1.0"
I kind of expected then to be taken directly to the download page. I wasn't - instead I ended up on a generic Silverlight download page. So I clicked on the download link "Silverlight 1.0" again assuming that I would now be able to download the product.
I wasn't.
Now I was taken what appeared to be the final download page, where I could choose between a Windows and a Mac version (BTW: Linux is coming later).
With strong anticipation that this would the last click, I clicked on "Download Silverlight 1.0 for Windows"
...and ended up on the public Silverlight site, where I could again choose between either a Windows or a Mac version... At this point a small but annoyed sound came out trough my teeth. I quickly click on the Windows icon - assuming that meant "Download"
...and the page did nothing but refresh itself and display the exact same page - just with a different background color (notice the URL change). WTH?
Out of pure devotion and dedication to Microsoft Silverlight I click the link one more time - instead of just leaving the site while saying "the hell with it!" like everyone else would have done at this stage.
I was immediately awarded with a new download page - taunting me with a button saying "Install Now" - YES DAMMIT!!! - you should have installed "NOW" 6 pages ago.
It worked. Finally after a marathon of pages, clicks, frustrations, anger and a number of other emotions - I now have Silverlight 1.0 on my computer.
There are a number of important lessons to be learned here:
Like this:
You do not actually need to choose operating system because the link above auto-detects your OS and downloads the right version automatically.
Even if Microsoft designed their own site (which I don't think they do), they don't care about usability because they don't have to. Complaining that they have bad usability is like complaining that mountains are hard to climb. I gave up complaining about them in 1994.
If we don't provide feedback in any way, I can't really see how things could get better. Not that I expect them to listen, but I still think it's better to speak my opinion than not to.
However, I'm a Mac user. I don't care. :-)
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Martin, Silverlight is also for Mac users :)
BTW: I do not actually agree with the assessment about Microsoft's stake in usability. I do not think the Silverlight download system is very good - but I believe that Microsoft spends more money on usability and the entire usability profession than any other company on the planet.
Read my review on Microsoft Office 2007 to see an example.
Yes, I know Silverlight is for Mac users too, but I don't really see the need for another Flash look-alike.
When it comes to Microsoft and usability, there's no doubt that Microsoft spends huge amounts of money on usability. I should know, as I worked for the largest Microsoft partner in the northern Europe for eight years. Of course, It's not my opinion that Microsoft is just bad usability, but it strikes me how inconsistency sneaks into obvious places, like naming similar functions in the Office suite with different names, inconsistent web sites, etc. (You should see their extranet...)
My point is that spending so much money on usability, the result should have been somewhat better.
I believe Microsoft needs to change it's mentality about listening people, getting feedback. They should have feedback website. Like feedback.microsoft.com.
Ray Akkanson
"Never create multiple pages that does the same thing"
I disagree. Microsoft is trying to lead sheep. What do Linux users click on? Nothing, because there is no support for Linux yet. What about Solaris users? FreeBSD? Amiga? Commodore 64?
My issue with the installer web page is this: The page is a DOWNLOAD page, but there is no download link!! The page self-installs. But I am a Windows user and I want to download the Mac binary because I want to see what it consists of (file size, extracted content differences, etc). Microsoft won't let me do that!! It's trying to be smarter than me and make my decisions for me!! That's what ticks me off!!!
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Published: September 05, 2007 
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Martin Bekkelund
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I've always proclaimed that Microsoft is not usability experts. Vista is a great example, where the user is flooded with pop-ups like «Are you sure you want to...?», «Are you sure you really want to...?», «Are you sure you really, really want to...?» and «Are you sure you really want to? We might want to ask you again!»
After 14 years with Windows, that was one of the reasons that I moved to Mac.