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Microsoft Designer: Windows 9 will be a solid refinement of Windows 8 lessons

Microsoft Designer: Windows 9 will be a solid refinement of Windows 8 lessons
Jonathan Riggall

Jonathan Riggall

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Commenting on Reddit, a member of the Windows 8 design team, Jacob Miller, has been explaining the thought behind the ‘modern user interface‘, and how Windows 9 will be less confusing for users.

When making Windows 8, the design team split Windows users into two groups: ‘content creators‘ and ‘content consumers‘. The former are power users, the latter casual users. In essence, the ‘Metro’ or Modern User Interface was designed with content consumers in mind, while the old desktop is for content creators.

They knew it would be a challenge for casual users to get used to a totally new interface, so for that reason excluded a ‘boot to desktop’ option. Miller says that casual users generally don’t ‘go exploring’, so it was important they had no choice about learning the new interface. Now that users are getting used to it, Microsoft can start tailoring the interface to people’s demands.

Miller also claims that this split means they can also focus on power users alone, bringing much requested features to Windows that have never been possible before. He suggested that multiple desktops are likely to be part of any future version of Windows, which wasn’t felt possible in earlier releases.

Miller also pointed out that Windows development has a tick/tock cycle:

Windows 7 couldn’t have existed without the lessons we learned from the mess that was Vista. XP couldn’t have existed without 2000. Hopefully Windows 9 will be a solid refinement on all this.

Microsoft knew that the new interface would be alienating, but felt in the long term it was necessary. The two interfaces, classic and modern, mean Microsoft can focus on power and casual users separately, and Miller hopes it will be better for everyone in the long run.

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[Source: NeoWin]

Jonathan Riggall

Jonathan Riggall

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