Is "Metro" dying already?

[JammyGitz]

I didn't realise people still go on facebook lol

 

[rockstarzzz]

I don't think its anywhere near dying. MS is keeping its design language in tact but clearly ModernUI is its own method of delivering content.

To me, some things simply don't work well in the full on ModernUI format. At least not for me. Case in point, reading epub books. So far, from the designs I've seen, it simply doesn't look natural. I don't like the idea of reading a wall of text. Its not the way my eyes focus. Which is how epub readers present themselves in this design language.

ModernUI is great to get me TO the content, but once I'm there I want a single page with a page turn. Or two pages side by side with a page turn. At least something akin to how MasterDevs designed The Verge app.

'Metro' or to give it the proper name: Modern UI, is beautiful.
It pretty much works flawlessly. Much better than any other phone OS. This shouldn't be a point for debate, it just IS.

Even the supposedly 'superior' Android has copied the WP8 look and feel with one of it's launchers.

Dead??? Far from it!!!! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!!!
If anyone thinks that, or doesn't have faith that this is the future, please feel free to switch away from WP8. We'll see you in 6 months when you realise how truly awful the alternatives are.....

I am happy to be sued by some small German firm but Metro is Metro Modern UI still hasn't sunk in to me

Metro wastes a lot of space. Do you have any idea how much more content is now visible on the Facebook app now that they've gotten rid of the Metro UI? You can't sacrifice functionality over form by using insanely sized headers that take up half the screen. Metro looks good on apps that don't require a lot of intricately written data, for example a weather app. But for something like a stocks app or even LinkedIn, Metro is nothing but a hindrance. Don't believe me? Go check out the LinkedIn app for iOS/Android and compare it with what's on Windows Phone. Windows Phone shows a lot less data on screen compared to iOS just because it's using Metro UI. The 'prettiness' of Metro is very short lived, at the end you just want the damn app to do its job well.

You seem to keep raising issues with Metro and huge headers - how do you fail to see that the idea of WP being different to other OS is because the way it looks. The way it does things. In 2013, no smartphone will be in a scenario where it can't do something like other phone - it only does it differently than the other. What WP does differently is makes the app design such that all apps feel native and closely connected with no need of buttons to navigate. You just swipe around the screen and all your content is on long horizontal page. What this design does is, although it stays flat, it breaks the navigation and nativity of the app.

I was bored to read the whole thread, but I have also something to say.

The switch from Metro UI styled Facebook app to cross design app is perfect. I know it doesn't make the Windows Phone version special, it wasn't already because it has less features (like sharing and mentioning).
If people want the Metro UI in it, than I think of a mix: the banner image (want I began to like) with the timeline/overall features of the iOS/Android version.

Come on, if I want to like a status, I don't want to click on the '+'-sign and then the like button. Just bam, Like! (one press) and reading further.

The reason features didn't fit in that old app isn't because it was metro lay out with metro and WP OS navigation style. It was just an ill effort to start with. Why can't each page be like Cocktail flow or WPCentral app?

but we don't want it to be different ffs, we want it to WORK! and the old one wasn't working, if MS didn't improve it adding the missing features, there's surely a reason why!

if Facebook was the one developing this app, no one would complain, because the design they use is basically the same for Android, iOS and mobile...why? because it WORKS!

i don't know about you but i don't want that stupid banner image taking space from my feed just because it's "pretty" or "different"!

when i go to FB app i want to see my FEEDS, not my albums images, and the feeds had a minor spot at the old one...Facebook design works because the focus is exactly on that!

It can be different and still work - try cocktail flow or try Tumblr! Those apps work, they are different, they are beautiful!

I agree with this 100%. I use flagship WP, iOS, and Android devices on a rotating basis. I consider myself somewhat OS agnostic, although in my mind each OS has advantages in certain areas. It seems to me that WP (and/or WP fans!) want to differentiate from iOS & Android just for the sake of being different, whether or not it's a good thing in the end. If the iOS & Android versions of Facebook are better than WP's "unadulterated Metro" version of Facebook, let's roll with the change! Crappy performing apps are not going to help WP market share grow, that's for sure.

Snappy performing apps that break all the ethos of OS design and navigation are OK? Does this mean we should stop opposing ports as well? i.e Android ports on BB10 are superior because they work irrespective of their design?

Why do people care so much about "beautiful" design and "intuitiveness"?

Is it not more important that the app works in the first place, and allows you to do the things that you want to do?

Apps can work with design e.g. Weather Flow, Amazing Weather, Weave, WPCentral. WPCentral is the best example of such an app because it is basically a news app with a whole freaking forum attached to it - it works like no other app and also looks beautiful enough to shell out money without a second thought!

Apps don't need to be direct port or look ugly in order to run perfectly. WP is all about beautiful design and intuitiveness else WM6.5 was far superior with functionality!

Except that that's all we see on about 99% of Windows Phone apps, including those from Microsoft.

99% of people who don't want to switch to WP8 is because our design is too dull and undesirable. I guess you just also said you don't care about our market share and success.

WP design is dull and undesirable? I thought 99% don't want to switch because we don't have Instagram

This isn't rocket science, the new Facebook app is Metro. Its flat, has strong typography, and minimalism. It just doesn't have the common navigation header seen in most "basic" Metro apps.

In this case, MS thought it would be more appropriate to build an app that most people are familiar with (looks like touch.facebook) but applying the metro flavor.

So basically..., in a nutshell, the original idea & concept of "Metro", Microsoft's vision..., has failed?

You can say what you will, but the original concept of Metro (Pivot & Panorama), was exactly what Windows Phone apps were supposed to primarily be designed around.(File:Microsoft-METRO-UI-Description.svg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). That's all Microsoft touted. Even the Hubs idea is a joke now. I guess it was all marketing B.S.

meh...

This exactly this! But won't say vision has failed though! But will see this as desperate attempt from MSFT to gain customers definitely!

Where exactly in that description it says that it's all about Pivot & Panorama? Nowhere. Pivot & Panorama screens are navigation models that use the Metro design principles, but they are not part of the design principles themselves.

...How come this is so hard to understand?

It is the way of navigating around the system! I have a WP and all my apps including system app navigate by left left left left scroll... then I open Facebook, left scroll ... bam! No more scroll where are my options? Oh wait, right scroll - there they are!

See where it breaks my metro? Making everything flat doesn't really make it metro the same way making everything panorama probably doesn't make it metro either.

 

[spaulagain]

Not pictures. Content, which can be a broad term, but basically means the stuff you look at and read (images, news articles, statuses, video, etc...). Its about using the best of your screen space in an app to make it display as much and as aesthetically pleasing as possible, while using the proper typography to make it appealing as well as readable.

Ok, nothing personal Dustin, but your concept is less Metro and more confusing than either of the two Facebook apps by MS. Just the drop shadow alone killed it. Not to mention other issues like using the application bar for navigation, etc. That's meant for action items within the context of the screen you are on.

un addition, you didn't even "fix" the things you were complaining about on the Facebook Beta app.

The new apps as I've stated multiple times does break some standards of the average Metro app. But its still Metro and is a happy marriage if familiarity with the normal Facebook UI and Metro.

Metro dead? Dumbest question ever.

 

[rockstarzzz]

Ok, nothing personal Dustin, but your concept is less Metro and more confusing than either of the two Facebook apps by MS. Just the drop shadow alone killed it. Not to mention other issues like using the application bar for navigation, etc. That's meant for action items within the context of the screen you are on.

un addition, you didn't even "fix" the things you were complaining about on the Facebook Beta app.

The new apps as I've stated multiple times does break some standards of the average Metro app. But its still Metro and is a happy marriage if familiarity with the normal Facebook UI and Metro.

Metro dead? Dumbest question ever.

"The fix" - I think is in the third picture. Navigation seems different.

 

[nessinhaw]

SO what if they just changed the navigation on the menus, making it swipe left left and so on?
like put the menu on the right to the left...then if you swipe again to the left, you'll see the chat menu, and again to the left, your photo albums for example? one more swipe and you're back to your news feed!

i know this wouldn't change the app design but would making changes like the one i described make the app feel more "metro", more "native" to WP?

afterall from what i came to understand after reading all this thread, metro isn't only design but also navigation...correct me if i'm wrong lol

 

[Nick Garza]

SO what if they just changed the navigation on the menus, making it swipe left left and so on?
like put the menu on the right to the left...then if you swipe again to the left, you'll see the chat menu, and again to the left, your photo albums for example? one more swipe and you're back to your news feed!

i know this wouldn't change the app design but would making changes like the one i described make the app feel more "metro", more "native" to WP?

afterall from what i came to understand after reading all this thread, metro isn't only design but also navigation...correct me if i'm wrong lol

I dont think its metro at all. Its flat, but so is android now, and apparently iOS7 will be as well. The unique, consistent look and feel of WP is what drove me to it. Now, my most used app will jar me out of the experience everytime I open it. And this only paves the way for more ports because if Microsoft doesn't care about a consistent design, what other developers will. So I would say it probably is, slowly, but we will probably get a few more ports in the process. If I wanted that though, I would stick with android/iOS because they will always have more, and will always get then first.

 

[nessinhaw]

i never thought people would go on such a rampage because MS followed FB design lol
the old app has such a mixed bag of reviews, i thought the majority hated it - design included!

 

[Nick Garza]

i never thought people would go on such a rampage because MS followed FB design lol
the old app has such a mixed bag of reviews, i thought the majority hated it - design included!

it was more because of what you couldn't do with it ( and still wont be able to do with this one since its not official ) than the design. And the fact that some actions took one too many taps, which could have been fixed easily.. Less banner space, larger thumbnails and you have a more attractive, consistent, and equally functional app.

 

[rockstarzzz]

SO what if they just changed the navigation on the menus, making it swipe left left and so on?
like put the menu on the right to the left...then if you swipe again to the left, you'll see the chat menu, and again to the left, your photo albums for example? one more swipe and you're back to your news feed!

i know this wouldn't change the app design but would making changes like the one i described make the app feel more "metro", more "native" to WP?

afterall from what i came to understand after reading all this thread, metro isn't only design but also navigation...correct me if i'm wrong lol

I would have thought navigation was key in how things feel native. Heck even iOS apps have more nativity in terms of how each app has it's back button etc, right? Coherence may be the right word here.

i never thought people would go on such a rampage because MS followed FB design lol
the old app has such a mixed bag of reviews, i thought the majority hated it - design included!

Those who hate that old Fb design clearly shouldn't be liking their People Hub or Photo & Video Hub and that boils it down to - are you going to use WP only because it links well with everything Windows? It surely has some inferior support and connectivity for key apps within its ecosystem at this point than it has for iOS or Android e.g. Skydrive and Skype anyone?

it was more because of what you couldn't do with it ( and still wont be able to do with this one since its not official ) than the design. And the fact that some actions took one too many taps, which could have been fixed easily.. Less banner space, larger thumbnails and you have a more attractive, consistent, and equally functional app.

This. Those reviews bashed the features more and quite a lot of users still somehow believe it lacked features because of how it was designed - which makes no sense to me but when a developer chimes in (Jay Bennett?) I might agree that yes Metro design can't be functional.

 

[berty6294]

I just want Microsoft to stop ******* around with the app and just update the People hub. Honestly apps suck. That's why I chose Windows Phone.

 

[Nick Garza]

I just want Microsoft to stop dicking around with the app and just update the People hub. Honestly apps suck. That's why I chose Windows Phone.

Honestly dont see tthat happening. Been a couple of years and nothing yet.

 

[berty6294]

Honestly dont see tthat happening. Been a couple of years and nothing yet.

I know, and it makes me so mad. Its one of the most differentiating thing about Windows Phone and they don't even take care of it. People hub can, has, and will make people switch to Windows Phone!

 

[cgk]

I honestly never use people hub.

In regards to the thesis of this thread:

Untappd comes to Windows Phone 8, forgoes Metro

 

[nessinhaw]

Those who hate that old Fb design clearly shouldn't be liking their People Hub or Photo & Video Hub and that boils it down to - are you going to use WP only because it links well with everything Windows? It surely has some inferior support and connectivity for key apps within its ecosystem at this point than it has for iOS or Android e.g. Skydrive and Skype anyone?

tho i defend the new app, i never rly hated the other one...i agreed many times it is beautiful and if i didn't say it before, i'll say it now: it does feel unique.

why they didn't reduce the image banner size and added the missing features to the old app? idk...who knows what reason is behind the decision of making a new app instead of improving the old one...perhaps because FB is getting involved? (at least i heard they are)

but i also don't hate on the new one...i know metro is important for WP identity but i guess the fact we have an app that actually works made me so happy i started defending it lol

 

[spaulagain]

I honestly never use people hub.

In regards to the thesis of this thread:

Untappd comes to Windows Phone 8, forgoes Metro

That's just laziness, nothing else to it.

 

[thegamevg]

I agree its lazy...but I certainly hope its a case of "functionality before design"..

We all prefer Metro UI over the look of apps over in iOS/Android, but its so much better to have a working app in the store...
Not everyone seems to want to build an app from scratch for WP when its easier to port it...well , not YET at least ..

 

[theefman]

Star Trek app for the new movie just released, Metro everywhere. To paraphrase Bones, "it's not dead, Jim".

 

[Dustin Hodges]

A lot of people are confusing Metro and the Windows Phone UI. Metro is more of a design guideline, or style, to which Windows Phone's UI is grouped underneath. Metro is about simplicity meets beauty, functionality meets aesthetics, and content is before chrome.

Ok, nothing personal Dustin, but your concept is less Metro and more confusing than either of the two Facebook apps by MS. Just the drop shadow alone killed it. Not to mention other issues like using the application bar for navigation, etc. That's meant for action items within the context of the screen you are on.

un addition, you didn't even "fix" the things you were complaining about on the Facebook Beta app.

The new apps as I've stated multiple times does break some standards of the average Metro app. But its still Metro and is a happy marriage if familiarity with the normal Facebook UI and Metro.

Metro dead? Dumbest question ever.

The application bar is used a lot for navigation. In IE, it has a menu that takes you to the tab page. Many apps use the application bar as a menu. Also, I didn't make it the main navigation, all I did was add a menu button to the application bar for quick access to the navigation menu.

Also, my main complaint centered around the Menu bar up top and the fact that its an exact copy of Facebook's other apps, just flattened. The Navigation Menu itself is fine (its the best part). Also, I said my idea wasn't perfect, and that it was just a suggestion for improvement. My idea could be bettered as well. Never said I was right. Just that mine, through use of subtle things, made it closer to metro than current, while still keeping with Facebook's App's basic control scheme.

Also, again, drop shadows are not bad. Its not forbidden in the original metro design. remember, content before chrome, not without. I personally like that it adds some depth to the app, as well as gives it a unique touch. It makes it more immersive and compelling in a subtle way, which is part of what metro is about.

Flat isn't everything. And not everything in Windows Phone is Metro. Windows Phone is Metro, but Metro is NOT Windows Phone, to put it in words, of sorts.

Also, metro is not dead (its anything but.) and some earlier designs seen in metro are coming back around (light subtle gradients on Desktop Shortcut Tiles on Windows 8's start screen). However its being used in a very basic and somewhat diluted form.

To put it in words: Microsoft is "playing it safe" with Metro as of late, refraining of using more radical or interesting designs then what they already use. Part of it is a loss of "Metro" (Modern UI may be the Windows Phone/8 UI Name, but its not the Metro philosophy.), part is in an attempt to avoid the possibility of scaring away the user or over doing with the design elements, thus effectively making them opposite of metro.

PS: Its NOT a happy marriage. The only thing "metro" is the Nav Menu. Everything else seems to abuse space with (albeit flat) chrome and a needless menu bar. The app puts familiarity and chrome before content, thus going against the Metro design style and philosophy. There are better ways to bring the facebook app interface to a Windows Phone app that still retain a metro use. Twitter, for example. It appears to use a custom pivot method for navigating the main home screens, while still retaining familiarity with the current twitter apps. It also arranges things within a format that looks beautiful on Windows Phone. It is a content first, familiarity second app. Facebook Beta isn't. Its familiarity first, OS UI second, Content third. AKA: Not metro.

Metro isn't just design. Its execution of design.

 

[cgk]

A lot of people are confusing Metro and the Windows Phone UI. Metro is more of a design guideline, or style, to which Windows Phone's UI is grouped underneath. Metro is about simplicity meets beauty, functionality meets aesthetics, and content is before chrome.

.

What is the practical difference between chrome and empty black space?

 

[Dustin Hodges]

What is the practical difference between chrome and empty black space?

Huh? Whats that got to do with metro? (metro would utilize that black space for content and immersive details, hypothetically)