WYREFRAYME User Experience Blog » Microsoft

Microsoft Implements Responsive Design

Troy Broas — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 12:43:02 +0000

Microsoft recently went live with a preview of their redesigned consumer and business website. In keeping with the new look of almost all of Microsoft’s new products, the Metro UI/Design is the basis of the new look. In addition to the Metro UI, another key feature is the use of responsive design. Unless you live under a rock, you are already fully aware that responsive design is one of the most talked about topics in the world of UX/UI. I tested the preview site by by viewing it on my iPhone. The site functioned very well and is an excellent example of why responsive design is such hot topic right now. Jump over and view the preview site for yourself.

Microsoft Office 15 UI Leaked

Troy Broas — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:30:11 +0000

Screen shots of the updated UI for the upcoming Microsoft Office 15 have been obtained by The Verge. The new UI has a very clean minimal look that incorporates the Metro UI style that the company is rolling out for Windows 8. By default, Microsoft’s ribbon is collapsed and the suite is being developed to run as a full screen app. In addition, the use of text and typography is being heavily incorporated as opposed to icons. This is still an early build and the UI will likely include some additional changes, but overall I like the direction that Microsoft is going. Jump on over to the Verge to view the full gallery of screen shots.

[Via TheVerge]

Goodbye Start Menu?

Troy Broas — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:51:23 +0000

According to various blogs, the latest build of the Microsoft 8 beta has revealed that Microsoft is planning to do away with the Start Menu. As you probably know by now, the next version of their OS, Windows 8, will introduce the new “Metro UI”. The lower left corner where the Start Menu normally is positioned will now be a “hot spot” or “hot corner” that can be used to toggle between the Metro UI and the traditional Windows Desktop UI. It will be interesting to see what the team at Microsoft implements in the final release of Windows 8. Jump over to the official Building Windows 8 Blog to read a post from last October about evolving the Start menu.

Microsoft Developer Blog: Ubelly

Troy Broas — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:55:48 +0000

Since I carry an iPhone and most of my mobile design experience has been for iOS, I tend to blog mostly about Apple related technology/news. Today I came across a cool blog called Ubelly that is the “Official Unofficial” Microsoft Development blog. The editors regularly post about Microsoft’s web technologies, Windows Phone and Kinect. Take a moment to check it out if you want to catch up on some interesting news related to the various Microsoft platforms.

The IE 6 Countdown Continues

Troy Broas — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:41:19 +0000

Microsoft has announced that starting in January, they will begin automatically upgrading Internet Explorer to the latest version. According to the IE 6 Countdown Site, more than 8% of internet users are still using IE 6. The automatic updates will hopefully eliminate IE 6 once and for and ensure that most users are now using browsers that adhere to modern web standards.

Microsoft Replaces XBOX Design Lead

Troy Broas — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 23:39:44 +0000

Sources are reporting that Microsoft is replacing the Design Lead for the XBOX platform ahead of the rumored 2013 release of the, “XBOX 720″. Dan Coyler, known for his push for a unified UI and Experience across all platforms, has worked on the XBOX team since 1999. Coyner originally joined Microsoft in 1995 after leaving Nintendo. CNET reports that he will be replaced by Emma Williams, who was recently in charge of the latest XBOX Dashboard redesign.

[Via CNET]

Microsoft Silverlight 5 Is Now Available

Troy Broas — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 02:01:50 +0000

This week Microsoft announced the release the 5th version of Silverlight. With Adobe’s recent stance of discontinuing support for Flash on mobile devices in favor of HTML, you have to wonder if Microsoft will continue to support Silverlight, although it can be used to develop Windows Phone 7 apps. For additional information, visit the Silverlight Blog and the Official Microsoft Silverlight Site.