win8 Windows 8 Start Menu Mock-up

[AmazingRando]

I wanted to help overcome some limitations of mouse/keyboard interface while keeping everything touch friendly and new.

In the normal mode, the Start Menu will default at 4 or even 5 tiles high with the ability to adjust to go from one corner to the other. It will never get wider unless a search is done or you tap All Programs. Tapping "Apps" will take you to the Start Screen. Power and Settings buttons should be pretty obvious.

Any tile will have the ability to be "Pinned to Start Menu", as shown here with the weather, Maps and Skydrive Apps. Any tile shown that are not pinned will be based on what is open or has been open. Mouse wheeling or finger sliding/flicking will spin thru this list of tiles (in this example it shows Desktop and Calendar) of all your currently running tiles. The new tiles will slide up or down according to the scroll or flick direction. If no more than one App is currently launched whatever is shown will be based on frequency of use. This will eliminate the task switcher from the top left hot corner as well. This also gives you a quick view of live tile data (such as temperature) without compromising or covering your current work flow.

Also shown on this screenshot is Gadgets. They are not like Windows 7 and older gadgets. They are simply live tiles that can be pinned to your desktop screen and are covered up by any windows just as in prior versions of Windows with gadgets.

Thoughts?

[Brandon H Supervisor]

I was gonna come in here and say "why do we need another start menu program for 8"

but this is actually quite the interesting concept, and I'd say it has potential :)

[Steven P. Administrators]

NOT BAD! (Y)

btw I fixed your post, did you copy it from somewhere?

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

now THAT is awesome! makes me wish I had 8 and this mock up as a real start menu! impressive!

[thartist]

Someone code this sh*t!!! IMMEDIATELY!

Edit: Hmm... on second thought...

It looks immediately attractive and it gathers everything in a single place much unlike any start menu replacement i've seen, and it better integrates both worlds with a launcher for "Metro" too.

1) On a broader designer view, it doesn't fix the fact that you'd have 2 environments with 2 start menus.

I think the case that your design would suit best is if you're only interested in the desktop (which is also to worry because it's the "environment" MS seems to be relegating)

Why do i say this? Because yours is the only design that comes close to actually SOLVING the duality. If you could expand the size of the mockup a bit, it could REPLACE the start screen STRAIGHT from the desktop. THAT would be the ultimate solution.

If it's not asking much, go for it.

2) Your second paragraph is kinda hard to grasp. I guess you mean it's similar to current start menus, a pinned and recent tiles area which you can flick... makes the whole thing sound a little functionally cluttered, i have my doubts.

3) The Power and Settings buttons positions are kinda swapped? :)

Congratulations!

[Sszecret Veteran]

Not quite sure about the 2nd screenshot, but the first one looks pretty good. Nice work!

[Sir Topham Hatt]

Windows 7 theme please! (Y)

That's super sexy.

[c.grz]

I'm one of those people that don't miss the Start Menu so take this as you will but:

Screenshot #1: Yay, it's different and keeps with the flow of Windows 8

Screenshot #2: Nay, it looks tacked on and doesn't flow with the first screenshot.

How about just being able to allow for smaller tiles, so we can add up to 40 tiles in that first "Windows 8" start menu. In other words; take the Windows 8 "Start Screen" and shrink it down to a fourth or fifth of it's current size.

[Order_66]

I would actually purchase and use windows 8 if it looked like that and had the functionality to match, this is much better than the current state of colossal fail that windows 8 is at right now.

[Dashel]

I'd prefer just a WP7/8-esque menu personally. That could actually meet both sets pretty easily and resolution-wise, its pretty close to the classic menu size.

[AmazingRando]

  On 20/11/2012 at 19:19, thartist said:

Someone code this sh*t!!! IMMEDIATELY!

Edit: Hmm... on second thought...

It looks immediately attractive and it gathers everything in a single place much unlike any start menu replacement i've seen, and it better integrates both worlds with a launcher for "Metro" too.

1) On a broader designer view, it doesn't fix the fact that you'd have 2 environments with 2 start menus.

I think the case that your design would suit best is if you're only interested in the desktop (which is also to worry because it's the "environment" MS seems to be relegating)

Why do i say this? Because yours is the only design that comes close to actually SOLVING the duality. If you could expand the size of the mockup a bit, it could REPLACE the start screen STRAIGHT from the desktop. THAT would be the ultimate solution.

If it's not asking much, go for it.

2) Your second paragraph is kinda hard to grasp. I guess you mean it's similar to current start menus, a pinned and recent tiles area which you can flick... makes the whole thing sound a little functionally cluttered, i have my doubts.

3) The Power and Settings buttons positions are kinda swapped? :)

Congratulations!

I wholeheartedly agree with the issue of duality that the OS suffers from. Not saying one way is better than the other but the contrast between the two is far too jarring for most.

The scrolling tiles on the start menu in my mock up would be limited to non-pinned tiles. It's kind of hard to grasp my vision in a static image. I think I might try to make an animated mock up.

Looking at it now, I think you're right the Power and Settings buttons are backward.

[stockwiz]

first screenshot looks great. Integrate the start screen and desktop into one. Put the metro apps on the desktop screen. Pin any program to this new desktop, replace the old style icons with the new style box logos, give the option to change the size of the boxes to suit the size of the screen used.

Keep the start menu looking as it is, allow the ability to add more options such as control panel, or whatever. Allow the option to make the start menu bigger or wider if a person wants. Maybe move the quick launch icons to the right side of the screen, and make the taskbar bigger so the icons are easy to press.

I don't have a huge problem with the way things are now though. Push windows button, 'start menu' pops up. No biggie.

[lanru]

Nice concept .. I'm currently using Vistart as a Start Menu replacement.

[Dot Matrix]

  On 20/11/2012 at 19:00, AmazingRando said:

I wanted to help overcome some limitations of mouse/keyboard interface while keeping everything touch friendly and new.

In the normal mode, the Start Menu will default at 4 or even 5 tiles high with the ability to adjust to go from one corner to the other. It will never get wider unless a search is done or you tap All Programs. Tapping "Apps" will take you to the Start Screen. Power and Settings buttons should be pretty obvious.

Any tile will have the ability to be "Pinned to Start Menu", as shown here with the weather, Maps and Skydrive Apps. Any tile shown that are not pinned will be based on what is open or has been open. Mouse wheeling or finger sliding/flicking will spin thru this list of tiles (in this example it shows Desktop and Calendar) of all your currently running tiles. The new tiles will slide up or down according to the scroll or flick direction. If no more than one App is currently launched whatever is shown will be based on frequency of use. This will eliminate the task switcher from the top left hot corner as well. This also gives you a quick view of live tile data (such as temperature) without compromising or covering your current work flow.

Also shown on this screenshot is Gadgets. They are not like Windows 7 and older gadgets. They are simply live tiles that can be pinned to your desktop screen and are covered up by any windows just as in prior versions of Windows with gadgets.

Thoughts?

The second screenshot doesn't work. You can't touch 16x16px lists of icons. You just can't.

EDIT: Also, on second thought, this just doesn't work at all. On tablets, other portable devices, and my HTPC, the last thing I want to see is the desktop. Trying to save a desktop-only design isn't going to work.

[Davo]

Phenomenal job but "yuck" to the old style expanded Start Menu. I'm not even sure I'm talking about just the looks either.

[HoochieMamma]

  On 26/11/2012 at 02:25, Dot Matrix said:

The second screenshot doesn't work. You can't touch 16x16px lists of icons. You just can't.

Why do you keep wanting to touch things all the time? This is for the DESKTOP. So we don't get a castrated DESKTOP UI we have now in W8. So we don't get epilepsy from switching from DESKTOP to Start Scree. Capito?

Stop fighting the Desktop UI. We have it for a reason.

[Dot Matrix]

  On 26/11/2012 at 02:31, HoochieMamma said:

Why do you keep wanting to touch things all the time? This is for the DESKTOP. So we don't get a castrated DESKTOP UI we have now in W8. So we don't get epilepsy from switching from DESKTOP to Start Scree. Capito?

Stop fighting the Desktop UI. We have it for a reason.

Hmm. Strange, I still have the desktop in Windows 8. Hell, I'm using it right now.

All of these designs are not device neutral. That's where the problem lies.

[HoochieMamma]

  On 26/11/2012 at 02:34, Dot Matrix said:

All of these designs are not device neutral. That's where the problem lies.

NO, YOU'RE making it a problem. A UI that's device neutral doesn't work for everything. A phone is not a tablet and a tablet isn't a desktop. Stop acting like they need to have the same UI. They don't, try and understand this.

[Dot Matrix]

  On 26/11/2012 at 02:39, HoochieMamma said:

NO, YOU'RE making it a problem. A UI that's device neutral doesn't work for everything. A phone is not a tablet and a tablet isn't a desktop. Stop acting like they need to have the same UI. They don't, try and understand this.

It's working here. Start works with touch, motion, mouse and keyboard. If you were a system developer, this is gold. It makes your job easier by not having to support excess crap. Start is everything the old menu used to be and more. Your desktop is still there. Start isn't taking that away, but in due time, it too will evolve to meet the needs of the hardware of the time.

[HoochieMamma]

  On 26/11/2012 at 02:42, Dot Matrix said:

It's working here. Start works with touch, motion, mouse and keyboard. If you were a system developer, this is gold. It makes your job easier by not having to support excess crap. Start is everything the old menu used to be and more.

If the Start screen is so perfect why do you have multiple posts stating that you use the Desktop still? I mean if its the holy grail you speak of shouldn't you be spending 100% of your time in Metro? Hmm?

[Dot Matrix]

  On 26/11/2012 at 02:45, HoochieMamma said:

If the Start screen is so perfect why do you have multiple posts stating that you use the Desktop still? I mean if its the holy grail you speak of shouldn't you be spending 100% of your time in Metro? Hmm?

Start is just a launcher. It's not an operating environment. However, Start adds more dynamic functionality that I absolutely love, and the biggest part is none of my icons are crammed in a hard to see, tiny ass menu. Start lays them all out in a pattern I specify.

Also, if you really do want to know, I do use nothing but Metro apps on my laptop. They fill my needs perfectly. Having a small 1366x768 screen, my desktop is run full screen only, so the switcher to Metro was non problematic.

[HoochieMamma]

  On 26/11/2012 at 02:49, Dot Matrix said:

Start is just a launcher. It's not an operating environment. However, Start adds more dynamic functionality that I absolutely love, and the biggest part is none of my icons are crammed in a hard to see, tiny ass menu. Start lays them all out in a pattern I specify.

Also, if you really do want to know, I do use nothing but Metro apps on my laptop. They fill my needs perfectly. Having a small 1366x768 screen, my desktop is run full screen only, so the switcher to Metro was non problematic.

So it's just a launcher now? Ahh I see now :rolleyes:

Sounds like a setup like this is more suited for you buddy.

How about you leave the Desktops for the big boys and their businesses.

[Dot Matrix]

Start has always been a launcher. Metro apps don't run in Start. They are not dependent on the screen to run.

[Chris123NT]

  On 26/11/2012 at 03:06, Dot Matrix said:

Start has always been a launcher. Metro apps don't run in Start. They are not dependent on the screen to run.

Uhh the Start Screen is more than just a launcher. Metro apps do depend on it. Think of the start screen as the "Metro Shell". It is the very essence of TwinUI, without it, metro apps would simply not work. They chose to made a dual function shell in a way so that if you never hit the desktop tile, the explorer code for desktop never actually loads. The start screen, and thus WinRT is quite literally an OS within an OS.

[Dashel]

Jesus Christ will someone ban Derp Matrix already. Such idiocy it raising my blood pressure. I mean seriously, he's done nothing to advance the OT and is just distractionary flamebait, fueled by his inexperienced and unfactual declarations.