You didn't look close enough, and the background image they used in the demo didn't make it obvious, but the transparent tiles are still there. All that changed is that the background is also in the gaps between the tiles, and still visible thru the transparent tiles. And that probably is optional.I like a lot of what I've seen, but I hate that start screen backgrounds now fill up the entire screen behind the tiles, rather than being able to see a background *through* the tiles, like *windows*. I don't want my phone to look like a PC, and I definitely don't want it to look like iOS or Android. I bought a Lumia because Windows Phone is different.
Metro (no need to call it "Old Metro", as this is no longer Metro) is a UI design language that was conceptualized to work well on small screens.
What was that?!!
I get tired of huge fonts and blank spaces taking up so much of limited screen real estate.
I'd say Android UI looks cluttered no matter how long I use one.
It doesn't need to be consistent with anything else. It should strive only to be consistent with itself!
Metro (no need to call it "Old Metro", as this is no longer Metro) is a UI design language that was conceptualized to work well on small screens. Such a UI can never be the same as the best possible UI for a large screen. You'd have thought MS learned their lessen when they tried to bring Metro, that was designed for small screens, to W8 which is used on large screens. That didn't go well. This is the exact same mistake in reverse.
MS needs to be consistent in three ways:
The question is which parts of Metro are worth keeping, because they simply work better on small devices. This is where MS is making mistakes. Maintaining design consistency across completely different devices just for the sake of consistency isn't worth anything. That's just counterproductive and asking for trouble. It's better to have design languages specifically tailored/optimized for the devices they are predominantly used on.
- The design language used on devices above 8" needs to be consistent within itself
- The design language used on devices below 8" needs to be consistent within itself
- And MS needs a consistent approach to mapping the different concepts between those two worlds (generally moving the ribbon down into the command bar is one example, which by itself already makes the point that it can't possibly be 100%consistent)
W10M isn't even consistent within itself at this point. Like I said, it's both clicky and swipy and neither. Add in all the existing apps and any semblance of consistency goes out the window.
Still playing catch up though, iOS8 had had this for a while now. Still, good to have the feature.
I don't totally agree, but I certainly understand why you feel that way. But, Microsoft is proving with the Metro UI that "uncluttered" doesn't work on mobile. The most important attribute is for the UI to be compact. Because of that it appears cluttered to the novice.
And I still maintain that it's all what you get used to. I find my way around my Android devices just as easily as my WP devices. I am very familiar with both, and don't have to search on either. It's much quicker on Android because it requires a lot less scrolling and tapping for most functions.
Is Android "cluttered"? Yes, you could call it that, although I don't think about it. Efficient? Infinitely more so!
What I liked:
- That the settings menu is finally getting cleaned up. Great!
- The ability to dictate rather than type, anywhere I'd be able to type text.
- That the messaging app is regaining the ability to integrate IP based messaging services, like Skype! Finally! Finally!!!!! Maybe we'll also see Facebook messages back in there...
- Touch Office looks a lot more powerful than I expected it would be, and just as good as I had hoped. This really does look like it might support the scenario, where a docked phone could potentially replace a laptop for casual MS Office work. Great!
- The Power Point presentation on the phone was impressive.
What I did not like:
1)
Practically all the first party apps, including the Touch Office apps, are clearly abandoning the Metro design language. The navigation bar at the top of the screen is the main indicator of this, as it often included a hamburger button and the occasional "back arrow". That's just the most visible change of many however. I'm not a fan. This is why:
The bottom and right (for right handed people) or left (for left handed people) edges are the best places for commands and navigational chrome. Controls at the top of the screen only work well for things that are used briefly and only occasionally (like volume controls).
- The occasional" back arrow" showing up seems confusing and unnecessary, given that WP has a hardware back button.
- There is already a lot of edge UI originating from the top, and all of it can cover up those navigation controls. Consider Joe's demonstration. What if he had started writing his response to the text message he received, and then realised he needs to check something in a word document? He can't, because the navigational controls are occluded by the interactive toast message. Even the small version of the audio panel that extends from the top edge would cover up half of that navigational strip. How many people will accidentally tap a navigational button, rather than expand the audio panel as they might have intended?
- A result of placing a lot of controls at the top of the screen, is that our hands will spend a lot more time blocking our view. Half the time we'll not even see the effect tapping a control at the top of the screen had, so we'll move our hand out of the way, just to move back again to invoke the next action. We're used to this on iPhones, but not on WP. It was the sum of all these little things, that made WP better. To put it more extremely, why don't we place the keyboard at the top of the screen instead of the bottom. Same reason. If Metro was all about "content over chrome", this is now about "hands over content".
2)
It's becoming increasingly difficult to identify particular UI concepts that we could give a name and collectively call a design language. One might say that WP is becoming more "clicky" and less "swipey". I admit that is rather mundane, but collectively, all the little changes leaves me with the impression that WP is losing some of what made it original and lovable. Based on what I saw, I'd also say it looks a lot less "alive".
One example is the command bar in the Touch Office apps. I like that this contains the ribbon, but in earlier releases of WP, we'd have been able to swipe between these ribbons (think of a small pivot control embedded in the command bar). Instead, we tap a button and then tap an entry in a flyout menu. Yes, it's a really trivial thing, but the impression it makes on me is maybe best described with "schizophrenic". Change itself is not necessarily bad, but a lack of consistency, in terms of look & feel, is. The UI seems to be suffering from an identity crisis. It's both swipey and clicky and neither.
I'd love to read MS' internal guidelines for WP UI design. Right now it seems MS is ignoring many of the subtle differences that made WP great. We seem to be headed towards a WP user interface that is characterless and unprincipled in comparison.
Of course, this all comes with the caveat that we were presented very early development releases, where much can still change. But at least based on what I saw, I'm no longer a fan of the WP UI.
I think you need more experience in mobile thing and other OSSorry you take it so personally. I for one, am very impressed and excited from what I've seen and read so far.
So do I. I wasn't talking about finding my way around a device, but about what I find visually appealing. Purely from a utilitarian point of view, I can learn to use any piece of software. I can get used to any inconsistent and cluttered mess of a UI if I must. A clean UI that consistently follows a set of rules, just makes that task enjoyable, rather than a chore.And I still maintain that it's all what you get used to. I find my way around my Android devices just as easily as my WP devices.
You've given up on the idea that a UI can simultaneously beautiful, functional and compact. I have not.The most important attribute is for the UI to be compact. Because of that it appears cluttered to the novice.
I don't think MS is proving anything of that sort. I doubt MS is even approaching this from where you think they are. I'd be very surprised if within MS, enough people backed the idea that Metro on WP:But, Microsoft is proving with the Metro UI that "uncluttered" doesn't work on mobile.
Agree? No?