Is "Metro" dying already?

[spaulagain]

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

Simple, distracting the eye.

 

[MrSean490]

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.

Actually, this is a seriously important point. Due to Microsoft's limited access to Facebook, there were certain things the app simply couldn't do, which is what drove me to use the website instead. Are these same deficiencies still seen in this new app? Do all posts show up? Does the app respect filtered posts? Can you access wall-to-wall posts, properly access events, groups, pages etc, have a proper Chat/Messenger component? If those things aren't dealt with here, then the app is still useless to me, whether or not the UI is nicer.

 

[paulm187]

I chose Windows Phone because I love the design language, the metro look and feel. If this is the direction things will go in the future then I may as well move to Android

 

[peacefulberry]

I chose Windows Phone because I love the design language, the metro look and feel. If this is the direction things will go in the future then I may as well move to Android

The metro look is just refreshing to me...its almost like drinking a cup of tea...

 

[JustinXinLiu]

No Metro is not dying, it's just bad design implementation.

I too dislike the new design of the Facebook beta. Don't tell me it's Metro simply by removing the drop shadows/3D feels. Metro is more than that. Also the page transitions are not smooth too (yeah I understand it's still beta).

Maybe they want the users to have the same experience across different platforms. But how about we make a good new Facebook design that others want to copy from us? Apple is also going flat right? I don't want our future Facebook design to follow their 'new' design again... LOL

I remember I was really excited about when non-beta FB app received with the latest design update. Having real photos on the banner was very clear. Apple and Android's didn't do that so I could show it around and tell people how unique my Windows Phone was.

Skype is a good example of Metro design. The animated rainbow panorama is one of the best design I've ever seen. Do iPhone and Android have this too?

 

[spaulagain]

THIS...

http://www.toledo2.com/2013/05/02/dont-call-it-metro-call-it-good-design/

Arturo Toledo is exactly right. You guys flipping out because it steps out of the traditional Metro model are really missing the point of Metro. It is not meant to be so defined to a T that the designer has no choice in the UI. Its simply a definition of principals for the UI. And in some cases, the "standard" Metro layout is not the most effective for the application being developed.

Good designers know how to handle the Metro language independently of its common UI patterns. MS simply created some basic guidelines that most developers should follow because they don't have qualified designers working with them. And lets be honest, developers don't know **** about design.

As a UI designer, I've worked with dozens of developers and only 2 of them had even the slightest clue about design at the necessary level of detail for a UI.

 

[Dustin Hodges]

THIS...

Toledo2 ? Blog Archive ? Don’t call it Metro, call it Good Design

Arturo Toledo is exactly right. You guys flipping out because it steps out of the traditional Metro model are really missing the point of Metro. It is not meant to be so defined to a T that the designer has no choice in the UI. Its simply a definition of principals for the UI. And in some cases, the "standard" Metro layout is not the most effective for the application being developed.

Good designers know how to handle the Metro language independently of its common UI patterns. MS simply created some basic guidelines that most developers should follow because they don't have qualified designers working with them. And lets be honest, developers don't know **** about design.

As a UI designer, I've worked with dozens of developers and only 2 of them had even the slightest clue about design at the necessary level of detail for a UI.

im not flipping out over it not using pivots and general Modern UI aspects. Im flipping out due to the fact it undermines the philosophy of metro.

And I wish people would say Modern UI when referring to the UI. The UI may be metro, but metro is not the UI. :eck:

Also, for those who agree with me and actually understand what I mean by "Metro Philosophy" (hint, NOT the UI), then I ask you help get MS' attention: Revive the Metro Design Philosophy

 

[spaulagain]

im not flipping out over it not using pivots and general Modern UI aspects. Im flipping out due to the fact it undermines the philosophy of metro.

And I wish people would say Modern UI when referring to the UI. The UI may be metro, but metro is not the UI. :eck:

Also, for those who agree with me and actually understand what I mean by "Metro Philosophy" (hint, NOT the UI), then I ask you help get MS' attention: Revive the Metro Design Philosophy

I still fail to see where it undermines the Metro Design philosophy. Metro is about "good" design as Deiter Rams puts it. Its authentic to the digital medium and only contains what is required to communicate the content.

That quote you keep referring to is very general and I don't see how the new FB breaks from it. I'm probably one of the most anal retentive UI designers out there, just ask any developer that's worked with me. And yet I don't see the mystical issues with the UI you bring up.

The link I posted above is from one of the designers from the Windows Phone team and he supports it.

And now you don't want people to use the word Metro? That's what MS has called it from day one. The only reason they call it "Modern" now is because of the lawsuit of the Metro name as a trademark.

You seem to be on some phantom crusade now, I don't get it.

 

[Dustin Hodges]

-.-" this happens to me a lot. You still don't seem to understand what im saying.

Everything in that blog article was referring to the UI. not design philosophy, but the UI. The design itself. As far as my understanding it was using Metro to refer to the interface.

A sr. director and sr. designer from the XBOX team said

don?t call it flat, don?t call it Metro, don?t call it modern, just call it Good Design.

For arguments sake, Why would they say that? Why not call it metro? Why not call it modern?

That whole article and not once did I see or understand that metro was being used to refer to the philosophy.

And again, im being big picture here. YOU are hung up on facebook. If you stay hung up on facebook, we will go in cricles.

I will concede that fb beta is a basic implementation of metro. But its foreign to me. Not because its missing pivots and panoramas, but because it doesn't FEEL metro. It doesn't SAY metro when I see it. It says "Facebook's iOS/Android app".

Do you follow (which I doubt you still do and we are going to go 6 more pages off about fb beta. :straight: )

(BTW, I think the XBOX Interface (newest one) is a perfect implementation of Metro)

---

[SUB]who knows.... maybe im just someone seeing something that wasn't meant to be. maybe im seeing an accident. something that reoccurred and felt to be something. Maybe all metro is is a UI. Maybe everything ive read ive misunderstood. Perhaps this "design philosophy" to which im so passionate about is non-existent, and was something MS didn't even know they did once... :unhappy:[/SUB]

 

[spaulagain]

The FB app feels like Facebook. That's what it should feel like.

The Metro "feel" you speak of is a combination of the large type at the top, the content clipped on the edge, the tiles, and bright colors.

For many apps, that kind of layout can work. But not for all of them and like I've stated several times, its sometimes more important that it feels like the brands product, not the OS's product. As long as it keeps the integrity of the OS in place.

Microsoft breaks that "feel" you speak in some of their own apps such as the mail app for Windows 8. Sometimes apps require different layouts to work.

Not everything plays well with the Zune interface.

And while the XBox interface feels metro with its tiles, etc. It fails miserably. I love the look of the XBox UI, but I hate using it. I should be able to pin my apps under each section to their main screen. Instead there is 5 advertisement tiles, and one tile that's says "my apps" for each section. I should be able to pin Netflix, Hulu, HBO GO to the video screen.

So ya, it might have the Metro feel, but what good is that if it doesn't work.

 

[Dustin Hodges]

The FB app feels like Facebook. That's what it should feel like.

The Metro "feel" you speak of is a combination of the large type at the top, the content clipped on the edge, the tiles, and bright colors.

For many apps, that kind of layout can work. But not for all of them and like I've stated several times, its sometimes more important that it feels like the brands product, not the OS's product. As long as it keeps the integrity of the OS in place.

Microsoft breaks that "feel" you speak in some of their own apps such as the mail app for Windows 8. Sometimes apps require different layouts to work.

Not everything plays well with the Zune interface.

[SUB]I give up. you win. im "waving my white flag". I cant do this anymore. im getting worked up. this isn't worth it[/SUB]

 

[rockstarzzz]

The FB app feels like Facebook. That's what it should feel like.

The Metro "feel" you speak of is a combination of the large type at the top, the content clipped on the edge, the tiles, and bright colors.

For many apps, that kind of layout can work. But not for all of them and like I've stated several times, its sometimes more important that it feels like the brands product, not the OS's product. As long as it keeps the integrity of the OS in place.

Microsoft breaks that "feel" you speak in some of their own apps such as the mail app for Windows 8. Sometimes apps require different layouts to work.

Not everything plays well with the Zune interface.

And while the XBox interface feels metro with its tiles, etc. It fails miserably. I love the look of the XBox UI, but I hate using it. I should be able to pin my apps under each section to their main screen. Instead there is 5 advertisement tiles, and one tile that's says "my apps" for each section. I should be able to pin Netflix, Hulu, HBO GO to the video screen.

So ya, it might have the Metro feel, but what good is that if it doesn't work.

Those two things in bold.

Facebook app feels like Facebook. Okay, but is that brand more important to MSFT than WP branding? Maybe. Maybe not. Okay, does it keep integrity of the OS? No.

Browse all apps - WPCentral app, then go browser MeTweets, then go browse Cocktail flow, go browse Weave and now go browse Facebook..oooh wait a minute, what happened to that OS integrity? It's gone! It doesn't look, feel, navigate, behave the same way rest of my phone and my apps behave. I don't mind Facebook branding itself in my status updates if it wants and add a bracket saying "via Facebook for life" - but not by killing what my phone does differently than every other phone.

Even Android and iOS with their apps feel more consistent than what Facebook beta feels v/s rest of the apps and OS. So may be by flattening, they have sort of kept the design but screwed the UI.

 

[Sanjay Chandra]

Those two things in bold.
Browse all apps - WPCentral app, then go browser MeTweets, then go browse Cocktail flow, go browse Weave and now go browse Facebook..oooh wait a minute, what happened to that OS integrity? It's gone! It doesn't look, feel, navigate, behave the same way rest of my phone and my apps behave. I don't mind Facebook branding itself in my status updates if it wants and add a bracket saying "via Facebook for life" - but not by killing what my phone does differently than every other phone.

Well , Its better than Youtube app made by MS [Well calling it as an app is a joke too]

 

[rockstarzzz]

Well , Its better than Youtube app made by MS [Well calling it as an app is a joke too]

Do you know why that "app" is the way it is? Have you done some research on this forum regarding that?

 

[Sanjay Chandra]

I always thought there was some explanation , but never searched in forums for it.

Can u provide me link please ?

 

[rockstarzzz]

YouTube Access and Windows Phone: Microsoft throws down the gauntlet | Windows Phone Central

More redirect problems as Google alters Mobile YouTube for Windows Phone | Windows Phone Central

Microsoft calls out Google for poor YouTube on Windows Phone | Windows Phone Central

These have abundant explanation on the whole YouTube shenanigans.

 

[MrSean490]

At the end of the day, I found the Youtube mobile site very capable anyway, never needed the app.

 

[tgp]

Do you know why that "app" is the way it is? Have you done some research on this forum regarding that?

But yet WP users say that Metrotube is better than the official Android & iOS YouTube apps. Doesn't Microsoft at least have as much YouTube access as the Metrotube developer?

 

[neo158]

I don't think that Metro is dying but the redesign of the Facebook app for the Beta, at least IMHO, is to draw people in from the iPhone and Android. Why do I say this? Well it's because it keeps a consistent look across platforms, and what do the majority of consumers do on iOS and Android devices, they post to Facebook and Twitter.

 

[Dustin Hodges]

But yet WP users say that Metrotube is better then the official Android & iOS YouTube apps. Doesn't Microsoft at least have as much YouTube access as the Metrotube developer?

Metrotube isn't using youtube officially. They are using a "backdoor" api, if you will. And any time Google changes that backdoor api, Metrotube breaks. Now an indie developer isn't going to get in trouble for using a backdoor and getting broken by changes, but imagine the outcry from both users and Google if Microsoft did that. Google would ride them for using their stuff unofficially, and every time Google changed something to break the app, users would cry "bad app".