Download

If an update is found, the AVG Free Edition 7.5 Update window appears. In centered bold text, the first line being huge:

AVG Update File Download

You are now downloading the latest AVG Free Edition Update file. When the download is complete your AVG Free Editing will be updated automatically.

The program has started doing something automatically and it will finish doing it automatically. So why does the user need to know about this?

There is a Cancel button, so you could prevent the update. But that just means the update will happen tomorrow. So this window is pointless, afaict.

Information Overload

It has lots of ultra-detailed information about the download. In the screenshot a file of 25kB has nearly been transferred. Here are the details it gave:

Server

Describes the current transfer state, such as Closing connection ....

Resume

Always says Yes for me. I guess it indicates whether the download will resume automatically if its terminated?

Download Data

Bytes received

How much of the file has been downloaded. Always uses kilobytes for me.

Time Left

How much longer you need to wait. Says ?:??:??.

Average speed

Transfer rate of the download so far. Says 0 B/sec.

File size

Size of the file being downloaded. Says 25.0 kB.

Time elapsed

How long the download has taken so far. Says 0:00:00 which is plainly bogus. I had plenty of time to snap this screenshot.

These are followed by a progress bar. Users need none of this. Remove this window.

Install

Once the download is complete, you get the AVG Free 7.5 Update. There are 2 spaces between Free" and 7.5 where the word “Edition” should be.

A different size and shape from the previous window, it uses centered normal weight text to say:

Now updating your AVG Free Edition installation.

Below that is a list. The first 3 items say:

1. Starting the Update process.
2. Updating : C:\Program Files\AVG\upd_vers.cfg
3. Updating : C:\Program Files\AVG\incavi.avm

Both centered text and the first item are redundant. Each item begins with Updating.

• English doesn’t use a space before colons.
• I don’t know what upd_vers.cfg. Should I be worried?
• I don’t know what incavi.avm. Should I be worried?
• A group box with no label surrounds the centered text and the list. Why have it?
• There is a Cancel button but it’s disabled. Why have it?

Why does the user need this window? Remove it.

Done

Once all the files have updated, a message box says:

Update was successfully finished.

Is the quadrisyllabic word “successfully” really helping users? It should say “has” instead of “was”, too.

This message box interrupts the user solely for them to click OK. Remove it.

Cancelling a Download

Cancel shows a message box which asks:

Are you sure you want to cancel downloading this file?

1. The download continues behind it!
2. If the download completes before you click Yes, the install will begin!
3. If the install completes, it displays another message box!

Stage 3 is the mess shown in the screenshot.

Another Nail in the Coffin

Downloads and updates can happen during virus scans!

Pretty confusing.