WP UI desperately needs refinement

[DoctorSaline]

Well the essence of Modern UI is in the fact that it is typography centric. And what do MS do? It makes the headers(typography) smaller and less attractive in WP8.1. Why not keep it same as WP8 and hide the headers when you start scrolling and bring them back when you stop? Or at least what is wrong with having an option for it? Or what is wrong with having an option for more colors or backgrounds(wallpapers) for people who find black too depressing?
I love Modern UI and that's why chose WP over alternatives but there are times when accent colours are not enough to accentuate my mood and on those times I wish I had the customization abilities of Android. Customization is subjective and MS need to give more options and varieties if they want to attract to a larger number of consumers.

 

[iamakii]

I think what the WP UI needs the most is better scaling options. I've been using an iPhone 5s for some testing recently (I normally use a Lumia 930). The thing you notice the most switching between those two is that despite the larger screen and higher pixel density, the Lumia 930 often displays just about the same amount of information on screen. In some cases the iPhone fits more info on it's 4" screen. For example, in Facebook messenger is shows one more recent conversation in the list, and it shows larger parts of sentences in the preview of those conversations.

This bugs me, everything starts to look too big on the Lumia 930. It makes me want to use the iPhone, despite having a real dislike for it's interface (I mean, it's like using a Windows desktop environment that's completely filled with shortcuts, next to nothing is available at a glance).

THIS!! You can see this clearly in 1520 where fonts look bigger, showing the same content like smaller phones, apps getting blank spaces at the bottom. How I wish 8.1 and apps were more optimized for large/ high pixel displays. WMPoweruser posted something about this yesterday. http://wmpoweruser.com/does-size-really-matter-nokia-lumia-930-vs-1520/

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

I just want the ui to be consistent everywhere. Part feels modern and the others seem to be regurgitate versions of iOS or android


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sumton]

Same here.

Metro design was heavily influenced by Swiss Design and other minimalistic principles. As a UI designer myself, I'm very impressed with Microsoft's UI principles on WP. It's fallen apart a little bit on Windows 8, but WP is very solid.

While the UI could use refinement here and there, I disagree with almost everything the OP notes. I don't want Google's Material Design. I want Metro.

im not designer so i searched for swiss design i find it elegant, bold and colorful it makes you smile when you see it unlike the depressing look of windows phone native apps with black background and white font not to mention the look of apps setting which looks like you are using a special version of windows command prompt


i wish windows phone os look like this

Productivity Future Vision (2011) - YouTube

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

im not designer so i searched for swiss design i find it elegant, bold and colorful it makes you smile when you see it unlike the depressing look of windows phone native apps with black background and white font not to mention the look of apps setting which looks like you are using a special version of windows command prompt


i wish windows phone os look like this

Productivity Future Vision (2011) - YouTube

That does look good.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[a5cent]

^ Notice how the UI in that video is also just black, (off) white, and an accent color? Set WP to the light theme, and in terms of color it's barely different. The difference is "only" in UI composition, not color.

 

[anon8957882]

im not designer so i searched for swiss design i find it elegant, bold and colorful it makes you smile when you see it unlike the depressing look of windows phone native apps with black background and white font not to mention the look of apps setting which looks like you are using a special version of windows command prompt


i wish windows phone os look like this

Productivity Future Vision (2011) - YouTube

Some people simply don't get it. They just see some colours - not the underlying simplicity/ ease of use/ clear uncluttered look/ the elegance - its hard to explain it. But they just don't get it.

 

[Josip Zeljko]

Some people simply don't get it. They just see some colours - not the underlying simplicity/ ease of use/ clear uncluttered look/ the elegance - its hard to explain it. But they just don't get it.

Really it's not that hard to understand. If you look at the video the color accentuates the main action you're doing right now, and possible "tap/click points". It's definitely a lot easier than finding some random text on a black and white page.

I'm not asking for anything over the top here (like android or god forbid iOS), but a little dash of colour would be nice here and there.

Also, is it so hard just to make these things user-defineable? Customization is always great - everyone can set the phone according to their own liking.

 

[Shiawian]

I agree with the more color bullet. What about making the startscreen background image also use the metro desgin effect to the application list.
And lose the arrow at the button below on the start screen titles. Start to get annoying when you scroll all the way down and see it all by itself here, consuming space for nothing. by now everybody knows to swipe left or NOT?!

 

[anon8957882]

I agree with the more color bullet. What about making the startscreen background image also use the metro desgin effect to the application list.
And lose the arrow at the button below on the start screen titles. Start to get annoying when you scroll all the way down and see it all by itself here, consuming space for nothing. by now everybody knows to swipe left or NOT?!

Everybody knows the the (...) function therefore MS should remove it?

Things are there for a reason. And whatever is not is for a reason too. So stop complaining already, people. The more you complain the more MS will listen and we will end up with an effing Frankenstein worse than the desktop Windows 8 OS.

 

[jordanzhninja]

Windows 7's UI was rock solid. Seriously.

8's was split-personality. Nobody really denies this anymore.
8.1's was also split-personality.

8.1 Update 1 was just so bad.

I hope with Windows 10 they go back to the roots they had in 7 but also keeping great philosophies they had with 8 that they executed so poorly.

 

[spaulagain]

Windows 7's UI was rock solid. Seriously.

8's was split-personality. Nobody really denies this anymore.
8.1's was also split-personality.

8.1 Update 1 was just so bad.

I hope with Windows 10 they go back to the roots they had in 7 but also keeping great philosophies they had with 8 that they executed so poorly.

Windows 7's UI was consistent. That's it.

The transparent windows, excessively dark shadows around the windows, the cluster**** control panel, the horrible search, etc. are all bad elements of Windows 7. I like Windows 7, but it's already very dated.

Windows 8 does have a dual personality because MS didn't update the Desktop UI to match the rest of the Metro environment. All they did was flatten Aero, which looks horrible.

But the Metro parts of Windows 8 are fantastic and very elegant. They are a truly modern experience and well design. The main issue is Start being full screen for desktop, and that the app list cuts off names of apps that are long.

But overall Window 8 is better than 7. It's just not as cohesive as 7.

Hopefully Windows 10 will complete the Metro design language into the desktop, while also bring back some Windows 7 UI patterns for desktop but push everything else forward.

 

[anon8957882]

Windows 7's UI was consistent. That's it.

The transparent windows, excessively dark shadows around the windows, the cluster**** control panel, the horrible search, etc. are all bad elements of Windows 7. I like Windows 7, but it's already very dated.

Windows 8 does have a dual personality because MS didn't update the Desktop UI to match the rest of the Metro environment. All they did was flatten Aero, which looks horrible.

But the Metro parts of Windows 8 are fantastic and very elegant. They are a truly modern experience and well design. The main issue is Start being full screen for desktop, and that the app list cuts off names of apps that are long.

But overall Window 8 is better than 7. It's just not as cohesive as 7.

Hopefully Windows 10 will complete the Metro design language into the desktop, while also bring back some Windows 7 UI patterns for desktop but push everything else forward.

I hope you just mean UI patterns & not AERO because it will make even bad of a mixture with Modern UI. And BTW, 8 has similar or even better desktop UI than 7. I don't know what you are talking about.

People are forgetting that Modern UI is all about solid colour. I see them suggesting adding some gradients - IT WILL NOT LOOK GOOD.

AERO had all the rounded corners in the chrome and translucency effect and dark shadows around windows which again will not look good coupled with the Modern design.

What we actually need is updated icons in Windows that goes well with the Modern UI. They also need to make those two environment transition well into each other - right now in 8/8.1 it feels like Start screen is an addon on the desktop.

Maybe they are doing a good job with 10 but can't say anything now - it's Microsoft! It has the capacity to screw up on the last stage.

 

[spaulagain]

I hope you just mean UI patterns & not AERO because it will make even bad of a mixture with Modern UI. And BTW, 8 has similar or even better desktop UI than 7. I don't know what you are talking about.

People are forgetting that Modern UI is all about solid colour. I see them suggesting adding some gradients - IT WILL NOT LOOK GOOD.

AERO had all the rounded corners in the chrome and translucency effect and dark shadows around windows which again will not look good coupled with the Modern design.

What we actually need is updated icons in Windows that goes well with the Modern UI. They also need to make those two environment transition well into each other - right now in 8/8.1 it feels like Start screen is an addon on the desktop.

Maybe they are doing a good job with 10 but can't say anything now - it's Microsoft! It has the capacity to screw up on the last stage.

Metro is not just all about color. And Windows 8 desktop is literally just the Aero UI flattened. They didn't redesign buttons, simplify elements like borders, align text and overall content, they didn't flatten icons, etc. 8's desktop aesthetic is half assed. I love Windows 8, but can't wait for a more polished desktop in 10.

 

[EssThree]

My biggest UI wish is to have 2x2 tiles (so 4 medium tiles in a square) and 1x2 tiles (two tiles high vertically). I also think more medium tiles need to show extra info (for instance, the skype tile only shows a notification count when medium, only 2x1).