If you have a MacBook Pro, you may recently have been asked to update your firmware. Firmware is the embedded software in your hardware. (A PC’s BIOS is a well known example. See Firmware on Wikipedia.) This is the dialog box, which serves as both a notification and warning window, that’s supposed to guide you through the process:

There are a few things wrong here, and they all have to do with the fact that, for beginner users, this is a potentially confusing process already.

First of all, what is firmware? And do I have an Intel processor? It doesn’t seem like a lot of thought or time was put into designing this dialog box.

Unlike software updates, which can occur in the background and at most require a few “OK” clicks, this firmware update presents a challenge: it requires the user to perform a special action on their physical computer, one for which the instructions can’t be displayed on the screen while it’s happening. So it makes sense for Apple to recommend printing out the instructions or, for those without a printer, writing them down. But how do I print these instructions? I think a button would help:

Apple does provide more information about these updates. Links to the support document for EFI Firmware Update 1.4 or the more general overview of firmware updates for Intel-based Macs would be helpful, but they’re strangely absent.

In the interest of eminently usable software, I present a redesigned alternative:

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