My own Windows Phone 8.1/9 concept ideas

[DBDev]

I really like everything but the background, I should keep that black :wink:

 

[SagarSadbhaiya]

Hey It's really awesome man.. Hope someone gives a thought to it..!!

 

[anon(7900571)]

if any Microsoft employee is reading this thread(ghost lol ) take some notes from this mate

 

[nasellok]

I really like everything but the background, I should keep that black :wink:

Different strokes for different folks - Id prefer to have a background image, and make tiles transparent - the color theme should allow for transparency, and a photo as a background. If you don't like it, you should at least have a choice in the matter. They allow in Windows 8, they should allow in WP8.

 

[realwarder]

I like the concept of landscape start menu and think that WP has the best opportunity for it over other phones - simply rotate icons 90 degrees as you show. The status bar could even remain down the left with icons on it rotating too.

Always good to see some ideas. Great job!

 

[Zippier]

Nice job, future Microsoft employee!

 

[kubiaxk]

Awesome .... I am speechless

 

[Jaskys]

Tiles on main "page" looks kind of awkward, other than that there's few great ideas.

Although 8.1 notification center will be completely different

 

[pazces84]

Seriously hope someone from Microsoft stumbles upon this thread and uses some of these concepts. They look awesome. Good job!

 

[joe_easton]

Well Done! I like how you took so much of Win8 and added it to WP. This needs to happen so people can connect the dots between the mobile and tablet/PC versions.

The only part that I didn't like was the Lock Screen. Much too cluttered. We need a more minimal way to get notifications onto the lock screen.

Notifications screen was really well done!

 

[anon(8050146)]

Nice try but it's way too cluttered and bad designed. I don't understand why people want to destroy windows phone with these full featured and cluttered UIs. Even stock android is cleaner than this concept. Windows phone is all about simplicity and this concept is full of detail that doesn't fit in small screen sizes.

The only good thing about this concept is the settings page but even that is questionable. The other parts of the UI are atrocious.

 

[Flagz]

Nice try but it's way too cluttered and bad designed. I don't understand why people want to destroy windows phone with these full featured and cluttered UIs. Even stock android is cleaner than this concept. Windows phone is all about simplicity and this concept is full of detail that doesn't fit in small screen sizes.

The only good thing about this concept is the settings page but even that is questionable. The other parts of the UI are atrocious.

that's the magical point. People have different visions and we really dint know what MS will do down the line. Choice is good (I wouldn't use a background, but I like the overall menu and notifications).

To your point, I'm pretty sure apple and good looks at our OS and say "why would anyone buy that bland OS) because as much as I like WP, our OS is seriously bland, with the exception of live tiles.

 

[anon(8050146)]

that's the magical point. People have different visions and we really dint know what MS will do down the line. Choice is good (I wouldn't use a background, but I like the overall menu and notifications).

To your point, I'm pretty sure apple and good looks at our OS and say "why would anyone buy that bland OS) because as much as I like WP, our OS is seriously bland, with the exception of live tiles.

Any OS will start to feel bland if you don't make changes to it. Changing a wallpaper is a good way to make it feel like new. Since windows phone doesn't have this ability, the way you make it feel new is by re-ordering your live tiles, changing the accent color and background color. I do it when it become stale to my taste and it feel like new every time. The live tiles is what makes windows phone less bland and that you don't get on any other OS.

The only way windows phone is going to have wallpaper support is by dimming the wallpaper itself like it's done in Windows 8 and not how this guy designed. It ruins the contrast of the tiles. It's bad design. It's not user-friendly.

The notification/toggles panel is the worst. He tried to fit every button and feature possible but later he found out that it failed miserably so he reduced the whole image to fit in the phone screen making every UI element so tiny that you almost can't read or press with your finger.

The settings app is actually good and usable but categorizing settings sometimes lead to worse user experience because if may be harder to find the things you're looking for. The search button he added might help with that.

He also should not use the Microsoft logo in his concepts. That's bad taste and copyright violation because makes it looking like it was Microsoft that designed or endorsed it.

This is why Microsoft and other companies shouldn't always listen to their user-base.

 

[wpmartjr]

Wouldn't it be cool to open the notification center by swiping up from the backbutton? Like you have your touch backbutton(could use share button aswell) and then you slide up from it and there's you're notification centre.

 

[Flagz]

Any OS will start to feel bland if you don't make changes to it. Changing a wallpaper is a good way to make it feel like new. Since windows phone doesn't have this ability, the way you make it feel new is by re-ordering your live tiles, changing the accent color and background color. I do it when it become stale to my taste and it feel like new every time. The live tiles is what makes windows phone less bland and that you don't get on any other OS.

The only way windows phone is going to have wallpaper support is by dimming the wallpaper itself like it's done in Windows 8 and not how this guy designed. It ruins the contrast of the tiles. It's bad design. It's not user-friendly.

The notification/toggles panel is the worst. He tried to fit every button and feature possible but later he found out that it failed miserably so he reduced the whole image to fit in the phone screen making every UI element so tiny that you almost can't read or press with your finger.

The settings app is actually good and usable but categorizing settings sometimes lead to worse user experience because if may be harder to find the things you're looking for. The search button he added might help with that.

He also should not use the Microsoft logo in his concepts. That's bad taste and copyright violation because makes it looking like it was Microsoft that designed or endorsed it.

This is why Microsoft and other companies shouldn't always listen to their user-base.

for every good there is a bad. This is how the world works. I can keep arguing my point...


From my fiancee end she would love the wallpaper support, she said how this design looks is amazing, she actually asked if its coming. I wouldn't use it though.

I think the settings in the swipe down notifications are adequate size. I have average hands and I think we can go that small, using the registry glitch on my ATIV S, the 3 column small tiles on a 5" screen is still easy to press so this will be nothing. Easy.

I'm a techie and have been using Windows Phone since the HD7 and still get lost in the settings, and I think he makes it easier to navigate.

To each his own.

 

[WilliamABradley]

I decided that I would do a mockup/concept of the only real (Perhaps for now) leaked image of Windows Phone 8.1.
Of course I had to beautify it with my idea of the Modern UI concept.

Feedback is always welcome!

The great thing about my design is that it provides great customisability in choice of colours, with hopefully not too much colour choice in-compatibilities, also it happens to be more space effecient. I find that my design doesn't waste as much space at the top of the screen and would be effecient from perhaps smaller screens all the way up to the Lumia 1520. (Scaling may be required for screens 4" or less).

But anyway, heres my take on that design.

What I am working on next will probably be a design of the email app, as well as uses of different accents/background accents/backgrounds and even no background (Defaults to background accent).

 

[WilliamABradley]

Nice try but it's way too cluttered and bad designed. I don't understand why people want to destroy windows phone with these full featured and cluttered UIs. Even stock android is cleaner than this concept. Windows phone is all about simplicity and this concept is full of detail that doesn't fit in small screen sizes.

The only good thing about this concept is the settings page but even that is questionable. The other parts of the UI are atrocious.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions

 

[minus365]

looks too android-ish for my likings. I have to agree with Merchan. what's the point of making nice and clean UI of WP to be so cluttered and "old school"? honestly, why should we need home screen image background? we are on few inches screen size, so there is no real benefit. I believe, full color scheme for background and tile color and that should be enough.

I agree, there is certain functionality that should be implemented in future releases, each to his own preference, but I would deffinitelly keep the UI and OS logic as it is now. it is brilliant. no grouping, no notification center, no file manager and I am still happy.

 

[manicottiK]

...I find that my design doesn't waste as much space at the top of the screen...

What you called waste was a conscious design decision by Microsoft to make pages less dense. This battle is one that early adopters and late-comers to WP have often (search for complaints about the blank area atop the first row of tiles on the Start screen, large headers for panoramas and pivots, etc).

In one of my own apps, I just tightened things up to see if I could reduce scrolling -- I found the new look overbearing and reverted to the old look. I'm still toying with the idea, but increasing density reduces the ability to use a panorama meaningfully because either the background photo or the foreground text becomes undiscernible without user focus. Our designs should lower the effort needed for the user to gather information that they need.

 

[Jason Drum]

Not that it would really bother me if it was available, but I would never put a background picture behind all the live tiles. I don't see what the point is when >75% of the screen is covered by the tiles. Just makes it look cluttered.