The limitations of "modern" UI

Simon Tupper

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Metro is beautiful and less cluttered than other design languages, but at some point you need to allow some "3D". I am not talking about all the extra flashy slowing down the app graphics you get with Android, but a little 3D touch to make the app feel premium. I know a lot of you could argue that 3D doesn't make an app premium, but when you are a new comer you want that nice premium app with a lot of features and one you could show off to a friend.

I love the concept of WP8 and the live tiles are a good idea that could get even better with time. This is why I would like to see apps that have strong features and that match its iOS or Android version. For example, the speaktoit assistant on my iPod is better in everyway than the speaktoit assistant on my Lumia 920, which tells you how much time they've put into the platform.

I think Microsoft needs to shock the audience with Blue. Enough with the almost exciting news. WP8 was great it was a needed update, still I would have like it to beat the competition in more areas than the ones Nokia worked really hard on.

Microsoft talk about the future a lot, but they forget the present by the same occasion. People want something to be excited about before they make the choice to switch to W8 and possibly WP8.

Windows 8 brought me a way of doing things that was less boring, but now I want it to be more in terms of design. Simple doesn't mean boring(a lot of developers are really uninspired) and when you change the name from Metro to Modern you obviously can offer yourself a little bit of flexibility without ditching the live tiles concept.

I hope Microsoft is not betting on Metro to take off, because what most people between 40 and 55 say when I asked them if they like the interface in Windows 8 (don't mention Metro, they don't even know anything about it) they simply say that it's childish and they don't see any reason to prefer it over Windows 7. And believe it or not the 40 to 60 years old are pretty much half of the population in a lot of areas in north America.

Again I love the live tiles and the modern UI, but I think Microsoft limited themselves by promoting Metro over the live tiles. You need a strong fan base to have fast growth and by improving the already good concept of W8 and WP8 without putting unnecessary limitations. Put more life into Modern UI and you will see more enthusiasm from the developers. Give them something to create on and build a solid ecosystem.
 

Simon Tupper

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This is why I like the new Twitter app. It doesn't look like all the other apps on the platform.

True, it has similarities with Firefox's nighty browser on the modern interface. I like it too. What I would like is more tones. We love to say that people don't come to W8 because they are afraid of change, but when it comes to modifying the UI we don't want it to change. But I think every platform has to change over time to reach the point where it looks just the way it should.
 
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Gaichuke

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Given how fast flat design is trending in the UI design world, I would have to argue that what you're suggesting is completely unnecessary. I'm sure that WP UI will evolve eventually, but it's not going back to the iconographic direction it escaped from.
 

Simon Tupper

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Given how fast flat design is trending in the UI design world, I would have to argue that what you're suggesting is completely unnecessary. I'm sure that WP UI will evolve eventually, but it's not going back to the iconographic direction it escaped from.

I talked about icons? Im pretty sure I said Live tiles several times.
 

Gaichuke

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I was talking about iconographic design style. Using metaphors from the physical world in a digital world. Like giving raised bevel effect to buttons to give them look of a real button from a physical world.
 

Gaichuke

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Anyone who had to chose the tiles for his/her bathroom know that it's not all tiles that are completely flat. :)

...Which is the point I'm trying to make. In Modern UI the idea is that tiles do not have to look like their real world counterparts, eg. they can be "authentically digital" as one of it's core principles state. Adding 3D effects to the tiles would be a step backwards when everyone else is going forwards.
 

Simon Tupper

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I was talking about iconographic design style. Using metaphors from the physical world in a digital world. Like giving raised bevel effect to buttons to give them look of a real button from a physical world.

Yet people find more ways to customize it by adding a tiles with nice graphics on it, not necessarily a button-like tile.
 

Gaichuke

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But Microsoft patented 3D tiles. So maybe you don't see well where Microsoft might be heading.

I think I do. I made this concept back in April 2011: Live Cubes

I had a brief talk with a patent lawyer when that patent application came public. Apparently Microsoft had made their patent application four days prior I published that concept.
 

Simon Tupper

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Look. All I'm trying to say is that I hope to see improvements in the UI, nothing more. I want Microsoft to see forward right now and to lead the market instead of reacting to the market.
 

Simon Tupper

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I think I do. I made this concept back in April 2011: Live Cubes

I had a brief talk with a patent lawyer when that patent application came public. Apparently Microsoft had made their patent application four days prior I published that concept.

I'd normally ask you to prove that you have anything to do with you supposedly made, but I'm tired and I worked all night. I was not planning on arguing I just wanted to write some thoughts down. And don't be insulted if I am skeptical, but a lot of people pretend to be someone they're not on the internet.
 

Gaichuke

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Fair enough. Username that uploaded those YouTube videos in that concept should be dead giveaway.

I do agree with you in general, every UI needs to constantly evolve to remain fresh and interesting. I just don't agree the direction you're proposing. Especially when everyone seems to be actually moving towards Modern UI.
 

Samst22

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I really like the 'flat' design of the UI. All the chrome on iOS really annoys me. If you compare the messaging and keyboard of a windows phone compared with the messaging and keyboard on an iphone, it really is the iphone that looks dated. I predict the next iOS will be a LOT flatter than the previous versions. You can already see it happening on the new iTunes - they ditched the rounded corners on the album art for sharp corners.

Adding gradients on colours and chroming everything up would be a real step backwards for me.
 

Simon Tupper

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I don't want such a thing to happen to WP8 or W8. Chroming everything is for iOS and Android, but you can add some dynamics to make the OS even more "alive". Instead of having 3D icons, you can have deepness in you OS to make it look as if the tiles were floating. Anything, I just want to see that "Modern UI" is work in progress and not another project Microsoft is convinced to have done right to eventually drop it.
 
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Simon Tupper

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Microsoft has to be aggressive with progress and they need something that iOS and Android users will be jealous of. Just like we are sometimes jealous of what is offered on those platform.
 

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