Windows 8 designers are blind.

By SubZenit
in Microsoft (Windows)

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Mohitster

Posted
Posted

One of the problems with Microsoft is the lack of UI consistency across product teams. Take a look at the following screenshot:

capture.png

Four MS programs, four ever so slightly different UIs. How hard can it be to design a consistent HIG for Windows and all first-party applications, and force the various units within Microsoft to adhere to it?

Superlike it!! This point needs to get across. Microsoft has been just too careless with respect to the implementation of Metro across platforms or software.... They are just sleeping over the laurels which the Metro UI received when first introduced when they should be focusing on making it more refined and flexible for various implementations....

Guest

Posted
Posted

One of the problems with Microsoft is the lack of UI consistency across product teams. Take a look at the following screenshot:

Four MS programs, four ever so slightly different UIs. How hard can it be to design a consistent HIG for Windows and all first-party applications, and force the various units within Microsoft to adhere to it?

This.

I can ignore the little pixel details that are wrong, but I can't ignore almost different UI designs across windows. I think someone spotted a windows 3.11 icon in control panel somewhere in windows 8. Although a single icon isn't going to make a massive difference to the OS as a whole, they could have easily paid a 3rd party, or had an extra internal team working on new icons.

;)

Why do you have aliased curved corners? :|

Mentor

Descartes

Posted
Posted

One of the problems with Microsoft is the lack of UI consistency across product teams. Take a look at the following screenshot:

capture.png

Four MS programs, four ever so slightly different UIs. How hard can it be to design a consistent HIG for Windows and all first-party applications, and force the various units within Microsoft to adhere to it?

I couldn't agree with you more.

It was a huge issue back in Windows Vista, then in Windows 7 they partially fixed it. Now even though it's not as bad as it used to be, there's still room for improvement.

They should look at what Apple has done with Leopard and learn from it. I've never used an Apple product but for what I know at least under this aspect they unarguably excel.

  • 5e3905de1b90 and etacarinae
  • Like 2
Grand Master

.Neo

Posted
Posted

Its not that they blind but they have really given up trying to fix windows desktop for consistency. If you want consistency then the Metro apps are for you.

Lets not pretend they ever put any serious effort into it to begin with.

Enthusiast

anidais

Posted
Posted

Microsoft seems to not care about design. The OP images show some of the "bugs" not fixed in the RTM, but there are more.

For example, command links buttons are still rounded and with gradients; also command links arrows are still the aero ones. In the main control panel window, where it says "View by", if you hover over "Category" the selection button still has rounded corners and a grey gradient (just like in 7). Also in the control panel, the detail pane in some windows (like the program uninstaller) still has the same baby blue gradient as 7. It doesn't stop there though. In IE10 desktop, the manage add-ons window still has a blue gradient near the bottom. Also when you type something in the URL bar and move the keyboard arrow key down, the links hover is still rounded and with a gradient (just like in 7). There are probably more inconsistencies.

When it comes to refined and polished UIs, in my opinion Apple is the winner. I think most of these issues can be fixed with an update, as many just require and edit of the msstyle file, but knowing Microsoft I doubt they even care.

Forgot to mention: the minimize, maximize and close buttons still have the XP-era yellow tooltip.

  • etacarinae, Robot Emas and glztt
  • Like 3
Grand Master

x-byte

Posted
Posted

When it comes to refined and polished UIs, in my opinion Apple is the winner. I think most of these issues can be fixed with an update, as many just require and edit of the msstyle file, but knowing Microsoft I doubt they even care.

I agree Apple is good at polish, but have they ever changed the majority of the design? Too me Mac still looks like something from the 90's :/
Grand Master

.Neo

Posted
Posted

I agree Apple is good at polish, but have they ever changed the majority of the design? Too me Mac still looks like something from the 90's :/

Quite a few interface elements in Windows are still actually from the 90s. :p

  • Robot Emas and MFH
  • Like 2
Grand Master

Noir Angel

Posted
Posted

Apple aren't the masters of UI design, in fact I find the design of OSX to be obnoxious and overly gaudy. Windows 8 for me goes the other way and is just bland and boring. I thought they had a reasonable compromise with Windows 7.

  • etacarinae and WizardCM
  • Like 2
Enthusiast

anidais

Posted
Posted

I agree Apple is good at polish, but have they ever changed the majority of the design? Too me Mac still looks like something from the 90's :/

Well Apple makes small UI changes with each OS release. While OS X is not perfect either, it is more polished and consistent than Windows (whether some people like the OS X theme or not is another matter). Windows 8 brings huge changes to the whole UI, true, but that is no excuse to leave some things incomplete. I mean they've been working on 8 for approximately 3 years (or more) so they've had more than enough time to polish everything.

Grand Master

bandit_liberty_rumble

Posted
Posted
Too me Mac still looks like something from the 90's :/

In some ways, OS X is indeed starting to look like Platinum again. :rofl: And of course some of the NextStep UI influences are still there as well. When Aqua, in 2000, was first introduced though it was pretty different from anything that came before it. It's just been toned down a lot over time. More evolution than revolution. And of course nowadays you have the iOS influences, whatever you may think of that...

Grand Master

x-byte

Posted
Posted

Well Apple makes small UI changes with each OS release. While OS X is not perfect either, it is more polished and consistent than Windows (whether some people like the OS X theme or not is another matter). Windows 8 brings huge changes to the whole UI, true, but that is no excuse to leave some things incomplete. I mean they've been working on 8 for approximately 3 years (or more) so they've had more than enough time to polish everything.

It's about priorities. Why spend money on a skin, when you have a completely new UI to work on. Also there are numerous other things that would have higher priorities. I see why someone would notice it, but it really is not an issue at all.

Quite a few interface elements in Windows are still actually from the 90s. :p

That is true, but that is legacy icons. I was thinking about icons and themes. Looks so quite dated. But that is just my opinion.
Enthusiast

anidais

Posted
Posted

The sad part about that is that it basically proves the people right that claim the Desktop's been written off. :/

True. Microsoft may deny it, but maybe they think it's not worth putting much effort into the desktop when it will probably disappear in future Windows releases.

Collaborator

Excelsis

Posted
Posted

I've got a feeling Microsoft rushed the new .msstyles when people using the release preview complained that the desktop wasn't consistent with the Metro UI, which is why there's still W7/8RP Aero elements left in the RTM.

Hopefully they'll update the theme by the time the retail comes out, though I'm not holding my breath on that.

Grand Master

x-byte

Posted
Posted

The sad part about that is that it basically proves the people right that claim the Desktop's been written off. :/

No it doesn't. Those issues in OP are minor and will have no impact at all. Wasted resources. I wouldn't want to have used time on a skin, instead of system performance/stability.
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