I use Mendeley software a lot and today they released an update to the desktop version of their software. The popup box described what changed and it was very clear and informative. My initial response what that sometimes a simple and clear message is better than a fancy one or one with no information at all. iPhone apps update often just say bug fixes which is mildly irritating to say the least.
Good design needs to have a clear and simple message that leads to the required action (in this case to update the software).
Here is what the update said:
Mendeley Desktop 1.16.1
crash fixes
- While displaying the user profile in notes.
- When modifying the list of document authors.
general bug fixes
- Fixed excessively long startup times for users with large libraries.
- Fixed an issue where deleting a note would delete a wrong one.
- Fixed a sync error caused by Mendeley Desktop erroneously submitting an empty websites field entry.
- Fixed an issue where citation data (e.g. status of “Suppress authors” checkbox) was prevented from being saved.
visual improvements
- Fixed an issue where the user name would overlap the date in notes.
- (Linux) Fixed an issue where editing an author would not show the right tooltips.
- Fixed an issue where filtering documents would result in an “Empty search query…” notification being displayed.
- Fixed a variety of visual issues related to displaying the startup splash screen.
feedback and support
- If you have suggestions for improvements please let us know by visiting the feedback forum.
- If you encounter any problems using Mendeley or have questions to ask please contact our support team.
- For news and updates about Mendeley see our blog.
Clear and concise and to the point!