- Oct 9, 2002
- 28,298
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Talked to someone today that was setting up email in the standard Windows 10 "Mail" app. It listed a bunch of common email types (Outlook/Hotmail, Yahoo, Google/Gmail, etc). Then, the obvious choice for his ISP email account: "Other (IMAP/POP)"
Well, no. It asks only for the username and password. When it fails to look-up settings automatically, there's no way to continue with advanced/manual setup. I was convinced the user was missing some option to continue with advanced/manual setup, so we used a remote screen sharing tool and I found that there was no way to continue past that screen. I even started over and picked "Other (POP/IMAP)" again, but got stuck the same way.
Well, it's just a UI flaw. On the previous screen, where you select the account type, you're supposed to completely ignore the "Other (POP/IMAP)" choice and scroll down -- even though it's not obvious that the screen can be scrolled at all because the vertical scroll bar disappears. It reveals an "Advanced Setup" option.
As presented, "Other (POP/IMAP)" would absolutely be the correct choice and there would be no reason to look for any other choice. Microsoft really needs to revise it so that choice jumps to advanced setup when it fails to look-up server settings automatically. Seriously!
[edit]
Yikes. Now that I'm home, I'm getting a chance to play around with it.
Account Description (another UI design flaw)
Once you actually get to a screen where you can enter settings while adding an account, it starts out wrong with the very first field presented. The field is labeled "Account name." It should say "Account description" instead. That's not a huge deal, except my generic setup instructions have *always* told people "'Account Name' or 'User name' must be the entire email address." Of course, fields like "Description," "Your name," or "Display name" are clearly a matter of preference. Choosing to call this field "Account name" will only confuse it with a mandatory setting instead of a user preference. I've configured countless versions of countless email clients and can't recall any of them that called the account description "Account name" -- probably because other UI designers all knew that would only cause confusion.
Since it was the very first field, I had a hunch it was really the description. Still, because they chose to label it "Account name," I had to enter the full email address to be sure. As I scrolled down, it eventually revealed a "user name" field, which finally clarified that the first field was the account description. It would be easier to just make it clear from the start by labeling the field "Account description" with a note below it: "Example: Work, Home, or Gmail."
Apple devices ask for your email address on a screen before the one with server settings and the Description field -- specifically so it can suggest an appropriate description. For example: If I add a Gmail account on an iOS device, the suggested description is "Gmail." When I add a second Gmail account, the suggested description is the full email address. In my generic email client setup instructions, I always recommend using the shortest description possible that still makes it easy to tell your accounts apart. Examples: Gmail, Yahoo, Work, etc. My generic instructions will tell people to make certain they enter the full email address anywhere that says "account name" or "user name." So they'll be configuring their tiny-screen mobile devices with less-than-optimal account descriptions.
IMAP Special Folders
It seems there's no way to configure special folders. Win8.1 had this screwed-up where it would always show some kind of alias and it was difficult to tell if you were selecting existing folders on the server, but Windows 10 simply doesn't have any option to set the special folders. It creates at least 1 redundant folder on the server ("Deleted Items" was created, even though "Trash" already exists). There's no way to override this.
I tested sending a message and it didn't go to the Sent Items folder. It didn't create a new folder like "Sent" or "Sent Mail." It didn't go to a local Sent folder. It simply didn't save a copy of the sent message anywhere. Lame. [edit] Well, I see the message in webmail, even though I couldn't see it in Win10 Mail. I already removed all mail accounts in Mail.
Switching Accounts
Also, for no good reason, it takes 2 clicks in Win10 where it only took 1 click in Win8.1
[edit2] (a serious UI flaw)
Oh, I noticed this earlier:
When using my mouse wheel to scroll up/down on the account settings screen, it changes the contents of drop-down selection boxes. Example: The "Account type" field when adding a new account and multiple fields when looking at sync settings for an existing account. Seems more likely to happen when a field has keyboard focus. Leads to the value / selection being changed accidentally, just from scrolling up/down through the fields. The user might not notice the selection was changed and might continue on.
It's also not clear (to someone with poor eyesight) which button has keyboard focus while tabbing past all the fields to the buttons below.
[edit3]
Can't turn-off mail sync for an IMAP account.
Settings
Accounts
IMAP Test Account
Change mailbox sync settings
Sync options
Email: Off <-- On
Done, Save
Doesn't do a damn thing. The option is right back on again when you return to that screen. IMAP folders and messages for that account do not ever disappear and the account remains visible on the left side of the UI.
The same option works fine for my Hotmail account -- presumably, any other Outlook / Exchange / Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) account too.
For my job, I frequently have to assist people with email configuration, so I leave a test account configured on my Apple iOS mobile devices. I leave mail sync turned-off so it the test account doesn't waste resources on my system and clutter search results. Within the Mail app, it acts as if that account does not exist. At any time, I can turn mail sync on, do some testing, and turn it off again (Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars, [test account] > Mail: [Off <--> On]). When I turn-off mail sync for an account, that account's folders disappear from the Mail app. If I turn-off mail sync for all accounts on my iOS device, the Mail app behaves as if there are no mail accounts and prompts me to add one (as it should).
There's no way to specify port numbers.
Really? Really?!
[edit4]
Can't select contacts to add to a new email message.
I was helping an elderly man today with Mail in Windows 10.
In Windows 8, you could click "To:" and select from your contacts (those in the People app). In Windows 10, there's no way to get to your contact list from within Mail.
Can't multi-select contacts in the People app.
OK, so I just have to open People, select multiple contacts, and then compose an email message...right?
Wrong. The People app does not allow you to select multiple contacts.
Well, no. It asks only for the username and password. When it fails to look-up settings automatically, there's no way to continue with advanced/manual setup. I was convinced the user was missing some option to continue with advanced/manual setup, so we used a remote screen sharing tool and I found that there was no way to continue past that screen. I even started over and picked "Other (POP/IMAP)" again, but got stuck the same way.
Well, it's just a UI flaw. On the previous screen, where you select the account type, you're supposed to completely ignore the "Other (POP/IMAP)" choice and scroll down -- even though it's not obvious that the screen can be scrolled at all because the vertical scroll bar disappears. It reveals an "Advanced Setup" option.
As presented, "Other (POP/IMAP)" would absolutely be the correct choice and there would be no reason to look for any other choice. Microsoft really needs to revise it so that choice jumps to advanced setup when it fails to look-up server settings automatically. Seriously!
[edit]
Yikes. Now that I'm home, I'm getting a chance to play around with it.
Account Description (another UI design flaw)
Once you actually get to a screen where you can enter settings while adding an account, it starts out wrong with the very first field presented. The field is labeled "Account name." It should say "Account description" instead. That's not a huge deal, except my generic setup instructions have *always* told people "'Account Name' or 'User name' must be the entire email address." Of course, fields like "Description," "Your name," or "Display name" are clearly a matter of preference. Choosing to call this field "Account name" will only confuse it with a mandatory setting instead of a user preference. I've configured countless versions of countless email clients and can't recall any of them that called the account description "Account name" -- probably because other UI designers all knew that would only cause confusion.
Since it was the very first field, I had a hunch it was really the description. Still, because they chose to label it "Account name," I had to enter the full email address to be sure. As I scrolled down, it eventually revealed a "user name" field, which finally clarified that the first field was the account description. It would be easier to just make it clear from the start by labeling the field "Account description" with a note below it: "Example: Work, Home, or Gmail."
Apple devices ask for your email address on a screen before the one with server settings and the Description field -- specifically so it can suggest an appropriate description. For example: If I add a Gmail account on an iOS device, the suggested description is "Gmail." When I add a second Gmail account, the suggested description is the full email address. In my generic email client setup instructions, I always recommend using the shortest description possible that still makes it easy to tell your accounts apart. Examples: Gmail, Yahoo, Work, etc. My generic instructions will tell people to make certain they enter the full email address anywhere that says "account name" or "user name." So they'll be configuring their tiny-screen mobile devices with less-than-optimal account descriptions.
IMAP Special Folders
It seems there's no way to configure special folders. Win8.1 had this screwed-up where it would always show some kind of alias and it was difficult to tell if you were selecting existing folders on the server, but Windows 10 simply doesn't have any option to set the special folders. It creates at least 1 redundant folder on the server ("Deleted Items" was created, even though "Trash" already exists). There's no way to override this.
I tested sending a message and it didn't go to the Sent Items folder. It didn't create a new folder like "Sent" or "Sent Mail." It didn't go to a local Sent folder. It simply didn't save a copy of the sent message anywhere. Lame. [edit] Well, I see the message in webmail, even though I couldn't see it in Win10 Mail. I already removed all mail accounts in Mail.
Switching Accounts
Also, for no good reason, it takes 2 clicks in Win10 where it only took 1 click in Win8.1
[edit2] (a serious UI flaw)
Oh, I noticed this earlier:
When using my mouse wheel to scroll up/down on the account settings screen, it changes the contents of drop-down selection boxes. Example: The "Account type" field when adding a new account and multiple fields when looking at sync settings for an existing account. Seems more likely to happen when a field has keyboard focus. Leads to the value / selection being changed accidentally, just from scrolling up/down through the fields. The user might not notice the selection was changed and might continue on.
It's also not clear (to someone with poor eyesight) which button has keyboard focus while tabbing past all the fields to the buttons below.
[edit3]
Can't turn-off mail sync for an IMAP account.
Settings
Accounts
IMAP Test Account
Change mailbox sync settings
Sync options
Email: Off <-- On
Done, Save
Doesn't do a damn thing. The option is right back on again when you return to that screen. IMAP folders and messages for that account do not ever disappear and the account remains visible on the left side of the UI.
The same option works fine for my Hotmail account -- presumably, any other Outlook / Exchange / Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) account too.
For my job, I frequently have to assist people with email configuration, so I leave a test account configured on my Apple iOS mobile devices. I leave mail sync turned-off so it the test account doesn't waste resources on my system and clutter search results. Within the Mail app, it acts as if that account does not exist. At any time, I can turn mail sync on, do some testing, and turn it off again (Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars, [test account] > Mail: [Off <--> On]). When I turn-off mail sync for an account, that account's folders disappear from the Mail app. If I turn-off mail sync for all accounts on my iOS device, the Mail app behaves as if there are no mail accounts and prompts me to add one (as it should).
There's no way to specify port numbers.
Really? Really?!
[edit4]
Can't select contacts to add to a new email message.
I was helping an elderly man today with Mail in Windows 10.
In Windows 8, you could click "To:" and select from your contacts (those in the People app). In Windows 10, there's no way to get to your contact list from within Mail.
Can't multi-select contacts in the People app.
OK, so I just have to open People, select multiple contacts, and then compose an email message...right?
Wrong. The People app does not allow you to select multiple contacts.
Last edited:
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