Productivity Future Vision by Microsoft
“We see an expanded definition of productivity where it’s not just about getting things done,” said David Jones, Microsoft’s director of envisioning. “It’s also about doing the right things, and doing them well and enjoying the process with other people in a very natural way.”
Rotor Dial Camera Design by Charlie Nghiem
“Paris-based designer charlie nghiem has reinterpreted the user interface of the digital camera. Getting rid of buttons all together, a stacked cylinder composed of several rotating parts allows users to choose their settings when a section is spun, a corresponding line appears on the screen. All the functions are the same however, accessing it is made simple. The column is also ergonomic taking into consideration the movement and positioning of the fingers and hands.”
Windows 8 Explorer Metro Ribbon UI with Touch First in mind
With the Microsoft BUILD conference nearing closer there has been an increased surge of excitement throughout the developer world as Steven Sinofsky, President of the Microsoft Division begins to openly discuss the in-depth look into the mechanics behind their new ”Redesigning Windows” approach.
He recently posted an article on ‘Improvements in Windows Explorer’. Where he discusses how the Windows Explorer (They should change it to File Explorer) has developed over time and ends with introducing the new Windows 8 Explorer that features the ‘ribbon’ we see today in applications such as Microsoft Office or Live Essentials.
This GUI (a static kitchen sink) had it’s uses in feature rich applications, however Microsoft should consider developing this further and provide a “dynamic and intelligent” ribbon that is not only configurable but is smart enough to change it’s UI based on device type and window size. (i.e: icon size, text placement, number of rows and columns, spacing etc.)
As it stands this Ribbon interface is ideal for legacy applications as it provides a function but I assumed the whole idea of Windows 8 was to move away from standard Windows environment and provide something revolutionary and innovative. Like mentioned previously, a “Dynamic and Intelligent” Metro ribbon that understands the users needs.
See full Size with annotation
That is exactly what I designed in the above image to try and communicate this point. By simply borrowing the design from IE9 (chromeless window) and moving the ribbon below the navigation bar it makes everything more legible. I have also increased the spacing between elements to maximise touch performance, provided a better way to collapse the ribbon and added additional functionality [see full size image]
Microsoft needs to give Windows a personality, this is what I mean by ‘intelligence’. The Explorer should be something that is centric to the OS experience not just a boring environment that lists your files but is an all-in-one GUI - library, document viewer, control panel and so on. For example, Explorer should have an organisation tool that allows me to organise and structure my entire PC in a simple method by creating virtual groups, libraries and tags so that I wouldn’t need to create a number of actual directories just to organise my files. All it takes is a simple search to find everything without ever navigating to a folder.
These are just some ideas of what I see as a truly “Reimagining of Windows” but whatever we see at BUILD I am hoping it will truly be something innovative and different (by that I mean totally touch-first and Metro styled UI - no legacy stuff at all but completely “redesigned”).
What are your thoughts on Windows 8 so far? Do you agree with how Microsoft is presenting the Ribbon to users in it’s new operating system or should they redesign it similar to how I explained through my concept design?
iOS 5 Concept HD | iSpazio (by RobertoMariaVadala)
Link list for Aarron Walter’s presentation at #AEA
