Windows Phone stops in development, will be completely replaced by the “normal”, adapted to smartphones and small tablets Windows. It is, however, something more than a change of name: it is a completely different approach to the design of the operating system.
Recently on redditowym AMA appeared a former employee of Microsoft, who was responsible for designing the interface for Windows Office’s 10 Mobile. Interview with the Internet quickly turned into a fascinating discussion on the future of Windows at Microsoft cells and why give up most of their ideas on the interface, which introduced with Windows Phone 7.
Before we go on to discuss the various answers engineer, it is worth One thing to note: Microsoft very practical and common sense approaches to the design of Windows 10. He knows that he is on the sidelines, and that his ideas are not accepted in the market. He also knows that face the next many years, before this system becomes a major player in the global market. This pragmatism makes Windows 10 will lose those people whose hearts are raised its Windows Phone, according to these people, excellent ideas.
Why this thorough reconstruction of the interface? Because users do not want to learn anew smartphone
Windows Phone professed simple principle: Equity buttons are located on the bottom of the interface, and navigate through the level by moving a finger. However, as argued questioned Microsoft engineer, horizontal navigation is a great idea for the discovery of new elements (for example, when viewing the photo gallery), but do not work in the case of organizing information. Competition applies different, a common approach: the most frequently used actions on the bottom of the screen, on the top navigation modules and less frequently used functions and actions in the drop-down menu (“burger menu”).
According to the engineer, the detachment from the competition and doing something else on the force is meaningless. Not only that requires learning to use your phone from scratch, the additive too much away from the user content. As argued przewinięć five finger horizontally to get to a particular column is too time-consuming. With Microsoft telemetry studies show that this solution had more disadvantages than advantages.
Why the “hamburger” is not delve finger?
Why “burger menu” is located in the upper left corner since it is difficult to available space for fingers? With a similar reason as rebuilding itself: because it is in competition. Instilling user interface of alternative ideas, according to the telemetry data to Microsoft, the world simply has not worked.
What’s more, according to the study, hardly anyone uses your smartphone all the time with one hand, contrary to the belief What poniektórych. And as an engineer admits that the position of “hamburgerowego menu” is wrong and the result solely from a desire to offer similar solutions to what the competition, so it is not such a problem, as some enthusiasts might think.
In addition, the idea of a “menu hamburgerowego “implies that there are hidden options that we use less, and it should be less accessible than those used most often. The most convenient place for the function menu is in the middle of the display, but for obvious reasons can not be placed there. 80 per cent. subjects preferred the upper position, 20 percent. lower. So it was decided to listen to the majority and “no fuss”.
The engineer adds that a well-designed a simple application (eg. Twitter) should not “hamburgerowego the” use at all. He admits that Apple on this issue with their guidelines is right. Notes, however, that sometimes its use is unavoidable in applications such complicated and complex as Office.
The last argument for the change is that the applications and services available on Microsoft’s Windows Phone are also available on Windows, Android, iOS OS X, BlackBerry, Fire OS and like every time they are adapted to the specifics of the device and platform, so Microsoft is very dependent on the common denominator in the interface of these applications, hence the need to resolve to make some compromises.
“Competition and this is worse”
While no doubt a lot of things in Windows 10 “standardized against the competition,” so the system Microsoft still has to stand on its background. An example of this is to be a phenomenal concept of active tiles, so they do not have to knock on the icon next to know that something interesting happened in the context of a particular application or game.
The former employee also denies Microsoft that Windows 10 was designed so as “to look like Android”. Even believes that his former employer too slowly copying a few good ideas on the interface, which is characterized by a system of Google, as well as iOS. According to the engineer to a fault Microsoft wants to differentiate themselves from the crowd at all costs, which in his opinion is a bad idea. Told me that sometimes he had to push some ideas about the interface without mentioning the “Company of the fruit,” because otherwise be rejected outright.
He adds that he is very concerned about the aesthetic layer of Windows 10. In his opinion, his former colleagues is “the best guests from design and design in the world” and will be very surprised if the conference Build (on which we as a Spider’s Web present) Microsoft does not present a new compilation mobile “Ten”, this time with flattering aesthetics.
What Microsoft thinking about your situation in the phone market?
According to a former engineer, Microsoft understands that lost the battle of being important in the phone market. This does not mean that it is made weapons and no longer intends to fight, but to the leadership finally realized that the market has already been shared between Android and iOS? And it will not change soon. That is why Microsoft is attacking the market, knows what he is very good, and so their services. This is why in recent years at the latest Windows Phone gets new versions of Redmond. Especially because, he says, writing on iOS and is faster and more efficient than Windows Phone.
Microsoft assumes that he can seriously fight on the market only for three to five years. Until then, do not cease to invest in the mobile version of Windows, and it will continue to be very important to him, but the strategy within the company assumes that the coming years will belong primarily to competing platforms. Microsoft does not intend to abandon the mobile market and even 0.1 percent. shares would be for him a lot more attractive than a round to zero, independent of incurred financial losses.
In his view, Windows 10 on phones will survive, and his former employer’s plan succeed. The changes that are now entered into the system, are painful (loss of visual aspect to stand out from the crowd), but necessary. Moreover, the current interface is, he says, also designed for the future and further expansion of the platform, which also aims to contribute to its success.
At the end of former Microsoft engineer said he did not consider Windows Phone ‘ and a market failure, and his emotions have nothing to do with it, he said, in his assessment of the situation. Given the fact that the only sales sites, which drew attention to smartphones running Microsoft, there were elegant and attractive design, the current result is considered a success.
Windows Phone, in his opinion, there won where Belle, webOS and BlackBerry did not give advice, despite the gratuity Android and iPhone tight integration with Apple’s other devices.
In his opinion, against breaching the achievement of market share in the world and 10 percent in Europe is a great success.
Our comments
As we have already mentioned, the new approach is very pragmatic Microsoft and suggests a sober view of the market. On the other hand, it is worth to recall why some of us, including the above signed, chose smartphones with Windows and consider them to be much better than the equivalent of Android or iOS-em. Just because of the other, in our opinion, a better idea of the interface and communication with the user.
Now, as a key differentiator for us are reliability (which also boasts the iPhone) and active tiles (present in a less elegant form in Android as widgets). The rest are dozens of smaller and larger stuff. Is mobile Windows 10 will have a sufficient quantity to continue to offer more than Google and Apple systems? On the desktop version of the look with equanimity, unable to wait longer its final version. Mobile raises a number of concerns …
No comments:
Post a Comment