Windows 10 Mobile: One small step for Windows Phone, one giant step backwards in UI

[EBUK]

If the hamburger menu is the price to pay for narrowing the app gap, it's a price worth paying, surely? And as long as there's a black theme, I'm not too bothered. Except to say, please keep menus at the bottom of the screen.

 

[jdballard]

The more I look at screenshots of Windows 10 for mobile the more I wonder why I don't just get an Android device, since the UI is pretty much heading in that direction anyway.

Why not just get an Android device? Stability. No lag. No constant reboots. WP is much more reliable. In the T-Mobile store the other day my wife was telling the rep about some of the issues with her phone. He asked her if she reboots her phone every few days. Sounds like something people suggested on older versions of Windows. Couldn't tell you the last time I had to restart my WP. It runs and runs and runs...

With Windows 10 mobile all I've seen is a major step away from the UI elements that made Windows Phone so great. Look no further than the new email, messaging and photos app. As a longtime WP user this frustrates me. I was willing to constantly be left behind in apps and games because I liked the style of my OS. I'll wait until Windows Mobile 10 comes out to make a final judgement, but I can see myself leaving Windows Phone if they continue to choose not to differentiate themselves with the UI. I suppose the preview time is our platform to let Microsoft know that we don't like the direction they are taking WP with regards to the UI.

While I get the frustration, I wonder if some of it is thinking something along the lines of "if it looks like what they're used to on Android & iOS, maybe they'll give us a try."

 

[Ma Rio]

For me it's all about the functions and design.
Usability is good, but not crucial.

I hate the stupid looking hamburger menu as much as the next guy. But I do not really mind that it's on top of the screen that much.
Yeah, it would really be good if MS sometimes thought about what they're doing before they do it. But while they're adding new features, i'm good.

 

[LoriInWA]

I like the new interface. Especially after seeing Joe B demonstrating how you swipe to delete or move messages to the top of the list.

 

[NikolausD]

I can see what you mean, but since Android/iOS app designs are getting better than they used to be (from a Metro fan's perspective), adjusting WP app design to those is not that much of a problem to me. Those new apps still have a relatively clean, simple and organized look. I also wish they would stick to the original metro design principles, but I can live with those new designs as long as the new OS and new apps offer more functionality.

 

[drachen23]

I'd caution over going too nuts about Outlook or Office apps and how they might affect/infect general Windows apps. One of the Office team's big "things" is to try and re-invent the look of the product every iteration. Yes, they did adopt the awful Office ribbon in Windows 8's Explorer, but the worst parts of it, like tiny buttons in the title bar and the counter-intuative File menu, aren't common in the rest of Windows or 3rd party apps.

I'd look more closely at apps like OneDrive, an actual shipping app not designed by the Office team. The latest WP OneDrive forces you to use a white theme even if it will drain your battery and has a hamburger menu (boo!), but for the most part it is designed like a standard WP app. It has a normal app bar with normal icon buttons and is based on a pivot control like many other 3rd party WP apps. The hamburger menu is only for account settings and enabling "shake for feedback". They will be rarely used, so it's not horrible in this case that the button is on the upper left. They apparently really didn't want the app menu to scroll.

I hate hamburger menus and love the Metro design language with equal passion, but I'm not ready to go totally nuts about it yet until I see software closer to release that isn't Office using the Office-like layout. That said, it's great that so many are putting the pressure on MS to stick with the Metro design language.

 

[muvig]

more users are coming to windows, one can not grow by one day,look at how long has android been in the market? why loose patience now MS, were users complaining about the outlook UI?

 

[N_LaRUE]

more users are coming to windows, one can not grow by one day,look at how long has android been in the market? why loose patience now MS, were users complaining about the outlook UI?

Your argument would have validity if it wasn't for it being a rather tedious thing. Length of time in the market has nothing to do with this discussion. This is talking about Outlook UI not marketshare.

Also MS, being a software maker should know a thing or two about UI don't you think?

 

[muvig]

I am with you 100%, to hell with this hamburger thing on small devices, it will make our life difficult on using these devices with one hand, don't make windows similar to android, i chose wp because it was different.
This change was not requested by users.

 

[muvig]

WP is new and the majority of people are used to android as it was best best OS so a long time after the rein of Symbian come to an end. marketshare comes in as long as android is mentioned. though i have never owned an android phone.

 

[N_LaRUE]

WP is new and the majority of people are used to android as it was best best OS so a long time after the rein of Symbian come to an end. marketshare comes in as long as android is mentioned. though i have never owned an android phone.

WP is new only to new users. It's been around since 2010. WP7 then WP8 and now WP8.1 soon to be W10. That's without going into Windows Mobile. MS has been in the game for sometime.

If you never owned an Android device it's hard to comment on the difference. It's similar to Symbian but not quite the same. Though people go on about lag and seem to 'hate' the design language of Android I'd have to say it's not that bad if you have a good spec device. I suspect things will continue to get better on Android.

If we want to start talking marketshare WP has a very long way to go. According to a recent article on Android Central, Android OS shipped on over a billion smartphones worldwide in 2014. WP is way behind at 38.8 million. Think about that.

 

[uberlaff]

Wow, you guys need to calm down and move along. We haven't seen anything yet.

 

[N_LaRUE]

Wow, you guys need to calm down and move along. We haven't seen anything yet.

What you mean we haven't seen the new UI elements? Were we day dreaming when they did the presentation? You mean all the people running the W10 preview now are not running anything that will be released?

Hmm, somehow I doubt that...

 

[mrzees]

If after final build, I have to stretch my thumb all the way to that hamburger menu button at the top of the phone to access app settings; I'm leaving windows phone. It was the one thing I really appreciated - those three little dots at the lower right of most apps. Like you differentiation has won the hearts of most current and returning windows phone users. Failure to build on this advantage will only make the UI indistinguishable. Really Microsoft should be working on how to make core experiences better. E.g. Family Room - (can't attach photos to the messenger), Better Skype integration, Phone and Recent calls - (can we get a call history with duration and time of calls); Resuming/Loading - (how long will it take to remedy this?); the list goes on.
Windows Phone has been playing catch-up for a while now albeit its furious pace to do so. Ultimately it will be Microsoft's ability to carve out an unexplored customer base and to improve its advantages in the OS that will make it succeed. Anything else would lead to it swimming in the shark invested waters that is Google.

 

[Jas00555]

If after final build, I have to stretch my thumb all the way to that hamburger menu button at the top of the phone to access app settings; I'm leaving windows phone.

This is like the most #firstworldproblem thing I've ever heard.

 

[jlzimmerman]

The buttons at the top have more to do with keeping consistency throughout W10. Joe B stated that W10 runs the same code across devices. Sure, it's feasible to be able to put a couple lines of code to make that change for phone...

if (running on phone)
{
put buttons and other junk at the bottom
}
else
....

...but perhaps that may come at a later update.

In any matter, if you aren't happy about the change, voice you opinion to Microsoft or your complaints are wasted.

 

[mrzees]

What if they place the hamburger menu within the familiar three dot swipe up menu that we are accustomed to seeing. Let users swipe upward from the three dot menu. From there, the hamburger menu button can be located exactly where the three dots would have been prior to swiping up. My thoughts is that most people's thumbs revert to that natural position of the 3 dots once they swipe up anyway. I can't deal with stretching my thumb all the way up. I get chills imagining the torture Lumia 1520 and 1320 users would endure with the present position of the hamburger menu on windows 10 mobile.

 

[tiziano27]

This is like the most #firstworldproblem thing I've ever heard.

It remembered me those lazy people of the movie Wall-E.

 

[mrzees]

This is like the most #firstworldproblem thing I've ever heard.

The greatest power man has, is the power to change his mind. Its certainly not a first world issue but an issue nonetheless. Don't we all have our limits "What would make you leave windows phone"

 

[FAHMI BASSEM]

OneDrive UI may be the best solution, or maybe adding an option to swipe right to own the menu.