Don't like the round profile pictures :(

[Torcher Death]

round profile is for the pussies

says the guy with a cat pic, so guess you like it then

i'm sure Microsoft has more important things to worry about that square vs round profile pictures....

Actually don't think they do, cause then they wouldn't have bothered changing it.

 

[wpfan86]

Absolutely no reason to change to round pictures. It cuts against everything else in the OS without adding anything. No purpose in making this change.

 

[Ma Rio]

It's kinda OK while in the contacts app. But totaly wrong everywhere else. Like imagine when someone calls you, and all you'll see is a little circle.
WHY? Why do it when you can have a big image on your screen that does a great job at showing who's calling you (like we have it now, on WP 8.1)?
Don't fix what's not broken.

 

[michail71]

It's kinda OK while in the contacts app. But totaly wrong everywhere else. Like imagine when someone calls you, and all you'll see is a little circle.
WHY? Why do it when you can have a big image on your screen that does a great job at showing who's calling you (like we have it now, on WP 8.1)?
Don't fix what's not broken.

Exactly, It's a "form follows function" matter. Nothing useful is gained and information is lost.

Although, there could be some argument that it's some sort of UI cue saying round now means profile photo.

 

[hotphil]

I'm just going to march everyone I know down to this place and ask for a "square" - http://www.incrediblethings.com/pets/dogs-get-their-hair-cut-to-have-perfectly-squareround-heads/

 

[byobg]

hey, I'm not sure if your illiterate or what.. but umm.. in case you didn't know.. YOU'RE USING PRE BETA SOFTWARE!!!

how about you all stop judging the visuals until it atleast hits beta stage eh? I swear this insider program is Microsofts worst mistake =/

I'll prove that I can read, by posting a link to this thing that I read: Windows 10 Design: Getting the balance right

And I'll draw your attention to this part:

[Begin quoted section]

People aren’t squares

We’ve also heard that using circles to represent people doesn’t reflect our overall design and feels out of sync with what we’ve done in the past.

I’m going to segue a bit into some of our design thinking here, but stay with me for a bit….We did a lot of thinking about this during our planning stages for Windows 10, and what we tried to accomplish was to help the people in your life really stand out visually. This is particularly important in experiences like Start, and when you’re moving through different apps where there are people mixed with other content types. So for now, we’re going to stick with using circles to represent people, and we hope we’ll hear that you enjoy how easy it is to spot a friend when you’re glancing through all the things you do on your phone.

[End quoted section]

 

[michail71]

I figured they had their reasons. However, I disagree with this reasoning. Our brains are wired to see and identify faces. That's why people see Jesus in toast. I don't think we need the container to be round to make them stand out. Unless there was some sort of cognitive study on this I'm not sold.

I'd rather see a round tilt shift. That would stand out even more as a spotlight and look a little less awkward. Well, that might look weird. I'd have to see it first.

I bet there was some interesting internal debate.

 

[AndyCalling]

A circle is not an efficient shape for these pictures as is does not tessellate. It reduces the resolution of the pictures for no good reason. Why doesn't the pictures app use circular versions of our pictures? And why aren't our cameras, monitors and TVs circular? The reasons are obvious. I have used a circular CRT monitor before now (pretty specialised work at the time) and that shape is very much not ideal for consumer use. It would suit circular pictures and icons though, in the same way that rectangular pictures suit a rectangular display. MS is aiming at an incredibly small market with circular design.

 

[jlzimmerman]

If you're using W10 and not liking the round profile pictures, SUBMIT THE FEEDBACK.

 

[Asskickulater]

I'll prove that I can read, by posting a link to this thing that I read: Windows 10 Design: Getting the balance right

And I'll draw your attention to this part:

[Begin quoted section]

People aren’t squares

We’ve also heard that using circles to represent people doesn’t reflect our overall design and feels out of sync with what we’ve done in the past.

I’m going to segue a bit into some of our design thinking here, but stay with me for a bit….We did a lot of thinking about this during our planning stages for Windows 10, and what we tried to accomplish was to help the people in your life really stand out visually. This is particularly important in experiences like Start, and when you’re moving through different apps where there are people mixed with other content types. So for now, we’re going to stick with using circles to represent people, and we hope we’ll hear that you enjoy how easy it is to spot a friend when you’re glancing through all the things you do on your phone.

[End quoted section]

Good job.. you found a quote that backs my own opinion up on the subject, but exactly how does that have any correlation to the post of mine you quoted?

 

[michail71]

how about you all stop judging the visuals until it atleast hits beta stage eh? I swear this insider program is Microsofts worst mistake =/

The engineering team is writing about how helpful this program has been in the development cycle for identifying bugs, design ideas and feedback. Can you provide any evidence that this is Microsoft's worst mistake? Don't you remember Microsoft Bob?

 

[Jonnie LasVegas]

Yeah, unfortunately we are stuck with the round pics for people. At least according to the design team. It just clashes so much with the rest of the OS.

 

[michail71]

If you're using W10 and not liking the round profile pictures, SUBMIT THE FEEDBACK.

They have gotten enough feedback that they felt the need to write a response, much like the hamburger menu. I admire that they'll stick to their design ideals in many case as that is sometimes needed to push innovation. However, if there is ever a hack to show the full picture I'm on it. But being modern apps they probably won't be hackable.

 

[ewingleong]

I've been reading up on Windows 10 for the past week and although people seem to be talking about it; they may not be actually referring to the same thing during discussions. The UI on a desktop is utterly different than that of a WP. Round profiles may look good on a desktop or a tablet user who may not be using a WP. I don't know as I am a Mac user. But to a Windows Phone user, which I am - what will happen to my pinned contacts? Am I going to get round tiles (contacts) mixed in with my square tiles (app)?

So, I think the important question is how is the design team at Microsoft's going to cohesively band all UI surfaces together under one unified visual identity. I believe any kind shapes can be used - be it a circle or a square... heck a hexagon. But, design is not just a shape of a profile picture or a tile... it's how everything will read together as a whole.

If Metro is being phased off, so be it... but where is this all headed towards? A new direction for the design language or just a hodgepodge of wanting to do everything, for everyone?

 

[michail71]

As of now the pinned contacts still fill the whole live tile. It's everywhere else they get the round cropping. On the desktop the people app and login screen use the round crops.

Metro isn't being phased out it has just evolved into Windows Apps, often called modern apps. They just run on the desktop now in a traditional style windows. Or you can run the system in tablet mode where it runs similar to 8.1.

 

[Blacklac]

Everything about Windows seems squared off. I dont feel like rounded icons/tiles/pictures fit the UI. I find it distracting, myself.

 

[michail71]

The first I recall seeing it used was on google plus. So I still have that mental association.

 

[Kram Sacul]

The first I recall seeing it used was on google plus. So I still have that mental association.

I want to say Skype had circles before but I'm not sure. Google+, OKCupid, Disqus, Skype, etc. It doesn't matter really. Circle contacts pictures have no place in an OS that's supposed to be professional. They're just another hamburger menu. Well meaning but ultimately a design failure.

 

[vw1610]

I actually like it. It looks more modern.

 

[Mercule]

I hate it. One of the least appealing changes. Actually makes it harder to recognize people. We may be wired to see round(ish) faces, but we do so against a largely solid/continuous background.