[surfacedude]

i like the app itself more, but i like the ui less. i think it looks like a beta app in terms of design. i think dropping all o the white and grey space would make it look better. maybe make all of the empty space black, text white, and leave the banners blue? i don't know, but the white and grey are very unflattering, imo.

[Laura Knotek]

I'm more interested in function, rather than design, so it doesn't matter to me.

[Connor Price]

Everyone cries out for Windows Phone to be equal with other platforms, when it does start becoming equal everyone cries that it's the same. Logic. Honestly, there's nothing wrong with the app. It's smoother, faster and it looks good.

[theefman]

Everyone cries out for Windows Phone to be equal with other platforms, when it does start becoming equal everyone cries that it's the same. Logic. Honestly, there's nothing wrong with the app. It's smoother, faster and it looks good.

Equal in functionality and features, not in looks. Otherwise why buy one in the first place? Is it ok to ditch live tiles just so WP can gain parity with the competition? The UI is pretty much all WP has going for it now, remove that and there is no reason for the platform to even exist, especially with the current app situation which Microsoft themselves aren't helping.

[raphok]

It's a matter of time for all apps become that way. Now I'm switching to blackberry OS.

[fgaudet]

Yes the new app is great, and metro is going in the right direction.
I personally want to see more colour in apps, instead of this bland white text on a black background thing most apps have got going on.

Oh, and the huge headers that some apps still have (thankfully xbox music got rid of it) need to be eliminated

^^ THIS.

When the big hugezor header can't even be read because it's wider than 3 phones, what's the point?

If your design hinders usability, adapt your design.

If this implies breaking a few of the design guidelines, so be it.

Remember : design guidelines are just that, guidelines, not immutable laws of godly purity. Usability trumps design.

[fgaudet]

Equal in functionality and features, not in looks. Otherwise why buy one in the first place? Is it ok to ditch live tiles just so WP can gain parity with the competition? The UI is pretty much all WP has going for it now, remove that and there is no reason for the platform to even exist, especially with the current app situation which Microsoft themselves aren't helping.

Bad example : Live tiles are THE determining feature of Windows Phone, and if MS were to ditch that, people would rightfully be outraged and question the platform.
However, adapting the UI of an app for better usability is a far cry from abandoning the specificity and ethos of Windows Phone.

I do not agree WP only has it's UI to go on for; here's why I choose WP, other than for the UI:

• better security - no Android sploits'n'hacks'n'virus here
• no cult - I am not Sheepple, I do not abide.
• no Google eye on everything I do
• underdog. Well that's probably just me: I always prefer an underdog. Marginal and all that.

Honestly, if every single app respected the Modern UI to the letter, it would indeed be a very bland and unappealing day in the Windows Phone world.

[S640]

I recall reading an old blog-type thing from a MS designer outlining their inspiration and vision for the Metro/Modern UI. This new "Android" design completely abandons the foundations of what Metro/Modern was supposed to be about. If you think this Android crap looks good then that's your business, but don't pretend it isn't a fundamental departure from the core principals of Metro/Modern.

[betterlife19]

I think its better because its more like the website version so it makes it less confusing to use

[iamtim]

Material Design is just a tweaked Metro UI. :|

Keep telling yourself that

I will, since it's true.

Yeah, no... it might bear some resemblances, but it's certainly not a "tweaked Metro UI". In fact, I think it has more in common with iOS than WP.

[betterlife19]

Yeah, no... it might bear some resemblances, but it's certainly not a "tweaked Metro UI". In fact, I think it has more in common with iOS than WP.

Yes you are kind of right it resembles more of ios than wp because of the design

[Silviu Bogusevschi]

Why is nobody whining about the hamburger button in the OneNote app on iOS? Why WP is not allowed to have these "hamburgers"? Why are all the WP fanboys supposed to shout their pain about UI change..?

As long as the app keeps being the same or more productive, I will be very happy with it. I bought my Windows Phone not because of three dots definitely.

[neo158]

Why is nobody whining about the hamburger button in the OneNote app on iOS? Why WP is not allowed to have these "hamburgers"? Why are all the WP fanboys supposed to shout their pain about UI change..?

As long as the app keeps being the same or more productive, I will be very happy with it. I bought my Windows Phone not because of three dots definitely.

It's because it's not in line with the Modern UI. They moved settings into the Hamburger menu for no good reason as it was perfectly fine where it was, the same place as the other system apps which is in the three dots menu. They moved the search button for no good reason as well, it was fine where it was on the app bar.

They also changed from the text based pivots to a hamburger menu and icons for the pivots, totally against the Modern UI guidelines that they set out for other developers. They are also using a non standard UI, text based pivots are in the SDK and the, now current, fugly UI isn't.

[raphok]

its just begining

[S640]

its just begining

I don't doubt it. I'm more than willing to deal with WP's deficiencies so I can enjoy the unique UI and benefit from all the attention paid to creating an excellent UX through consistent, well-thought-out design. If MS starts turning the core WP apps into Android look-alikes then I see no real upside to WP compared to the competition.

[twint7787]

I don't doubt it. I'm more than willing to deal with WP's deficiencies so I can enjoy the unique UI and benefit from all the attention paid to creating an excellent UX through consistent, well-thought-out design. If MS starts turning the core WP apps into Android look-alikes then I see no real upside to WP compared to the competition.

This is what I am saying. Then we are going to live in a weird world where our messaging/email/calendar apps are metro, but OneDrive/Office/OneNote are Android spin offs? No thanks.

[Squachy]

Ehh it looks the same except for the header menu. The old one had gigantic header text which the entire space was replaced by a big blank blue header with the hamburger menu and icons below it. The icons below it does the same thing as the previous gigantic header text, but the hamburger menu seems to...do the same thing as the header text so theres some redundancy there. To me it looks like they combined the android hamburger menu with some revised Metro UI to get this Frankenstein design that tries to do both at the same time....
Metro itself could do away with the hamburger menu IMO. They could either keep the icons or change them to smaller text whichever seems better (look at some other apps like the bing apps to see the smaller text used, and office app to see enourmous office logo and big header text take up half the screen the old way of metro used to do).

[colinkiama]

In my opinion they should put search back in the app bar. Kill the hamburger button. Bring back the pivots but the text must be the smaller 8.1 font and finally the grey bar should be kept there to choose between business and personal. The icons would probably be like a suitcase and an outline of a person maybe. I wish someone could actually do a concept for me :(

[colinkiama]

Tbh though the app isn't that bad. Maybe the grey bar needs to be changed maybe

[Mellifluous]

I don't mind the hamburger button. The overall design of the app has changed little and the hamburger button does not mean WP is getting more Android-esque. The hamburger is something that has been implemented in apps and websites regardless of os - it is obviously considered a good standard and I don't see why we need kick up a fuss about it. If WP got ios/Android type screen icons or other core design ideas it would be another matter, but this is obviously just Microsoft incorporating a design which aids navigation and which helps make their apps be more uniform. That way, a user who comes to WP from another os won't see huge differences.

[Connor Price]

Equal in functionality and features, not in looks. Otherwise why buy one in the first place? Is it ok to ditch live tiles just so WP can gain parity with the competition? The UI is pretty much all WP has going for it now, remove that and there is no reason for the platform to even exist, especially with the current app situation which Microsoft themselves aren't helping.

Yeah, I do understand. However, the more minimalistic flat design is obviously where Microsoft is going. The Facebook app is like this, quite a lot of Microsoft apps are looking like this, Windows 8 apps look like this and so on. Personally, I don't mind it. But I like the flat look of material design, so maybe that's why.

[iamakii]

It's an Android app tbh.

[Michael Alan Goff]

I'm wondering if there would be the same outcry if Microsoft had created the hamburger menu and were switching to the ellipsis that Google used? Hypothetical scenario, obviously.

[raphok]

Why is nobody whining about the hamburger button in the OneNote app on iOS? Why WP is not allowed to have these "hamburgers"? Why are all the WP fanboys supposed to shout their pain about UI change..?

As long as the app keeps being the same or more productive, I will be very happy with it. I bought my Windows Phone not because of three dots definitely.

Because is on iOS, not on WP. Guidelines are different.

[Wam1q]

I'm wondering if there would be the same outcry if Microsoft had created the hamburger menu and were switching to the ellipsis that Google used? Hypothetical scenario, obviously.

The Hamburger is on the far top left... It makes navigation difficult. The bottom app bar and the ellipsis menu are ideal positions for options, settings, etc.