To Microsoft Devs - Please evolve Metro/Modern to something better than Material design

[Clark Alesna]

Hello!

I've signed up in this forum because of the news that Microsoft Engineers are reading and even responding to feedback here. All my specific feedback "for now until consumer preview" has been submitted via Windows 10 Technical Preview feedback app.

I'm not sure if theres anything going on to evolve Modern UI in desktop and WinRT Apps/Controls/Environment. But I really hope(want) that theres a team somewhere that's going to blow our minds in this space in Consumer Preview. I hope it beats Material design! I am really a Microsoft guy. But I have to say Material is "like" an improved Metro UI (I feel google somewhat took metro and modified it and called it their own but that's another topic). Its really nice.

I wont underestimate Windows team's decision to skip a version. I feel they will and have been going all out in this iteration of windows! I just hope this part is also being innovated once again.

I am confident! You guys done it before you can do it again!
Thanks
Clark

 

[cheehong]

Agree. The app's UI looks terrible than other platform(animation is good and can be better).Microsoft designer pls introduce better app's interface and make ur app better as a role model to other developer.

 

[mortici]

Send all your UI guys the metro design document, then have them follow it, and implement it across all devices. Problem solved. There is nothing wrong with the design, its simple, clean, efficient and the most pleasant to work with. I don't want "chrome" (shiny stuff, bubbles, crazy animations, etc) in the apps/UI it does nothing to make the UX better.

Less bling, more clean.

 

[AstroPop]

Metro needs a small refresh and thankfully it looks like we're getting it. I have faith it'll be awesome based on the snippets I've seen so far.

 

[cheehong]

Send all your UI guys the metro design document, then have them follow it, and implement it across all devices. Problem solved. There is nothing wrong with the design, its simple, clean, efficient and the most pleasant to work with. I don't want "chrome" (shiny stuff, bubbles, crazy animations, etc) in the apps/UI it does nothing to make the UX better.

Less bling, more clean.

Agree,android and IOS have been good in design since android 5.0 and IOS 7 . Microsoft have to do something on their tiles , there are many ideas can implement in metro . Microsoft should take android as role model. For instance , recent Android update has a clean layout,user friendly and mixed with wonderful colour. I really hope that windows' app(setting,battery saver, etc) have more colour not just black and white and make it more understandable,user friendly if Microsoft want to attract users from other platforms . Involve the metro system and mobile platform will dominated by windows not android and IOS .

 

[boltman2013]

#1 thing..FIX THE WINDOWS STORE! not the apps (but that too) the layout is horrid.

 

[sumton]

its Perfect time to introduce Modern version 2 for windows PC's,tablets and phones :smile: Please :eck:

 

[a5cent]

I disagree. In general, high contrast (black&white) is best for text and typography based design languages like metro. That makes all text as easy to read as possible. The black color scheme is also great for OLED based display technologies, and at night the dark theme is very much preferable to Android's white/blue paper based look. Lollipop at night (or in a dark room) is either glaringly bright, or just looks dull when the backlight is run at half brightness, causing material design to lose all its punch/contrast. No, MS has done very well here. Of course you can always tweak, polish and clean (and should), but fundamentally it's where it needs to be.

I agree that a few apps could use a few more splashes of color here and there though, but that should always serve the purpose of drawing a users eye to what is important, rather than just using color for the sake of color. Ultimately though, that is up to each app more than it is a matter of the design language itself.

At least as far as aesthetics are concerned, what I think needs the most attention is still the start screen. Many people's start screens still look like billboards. IMHO that's one of the biggest obstacle to higher sales. When there is no background image configured, as is usually the case for WP devices on display in stores, the nervous and often color-conflicting billboard-style start screen is even worse. The start screen needs to look like it was "deliberately designed" by default, no matter what apps a user decides to pin and where the user decides to pin them. Before that happens, WP will continue to have difficulties getting a chance to make more than a billboard-like first impression.