WYREFRAYME User Experience Blog » UI

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.

Free Windows 8 UI PSD

Troy Broas — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 01:25:37 +0000

Web Design Shock recently released a free Windows 8 UI PSD. This free set includes over 100 UI elements and will definitely come in handy and help you to quickly create Windows 8 high-fidelity mockups. Jump over to Web Design Shock and download it now.

ZOHO Reveals New UI

Troy Broas — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:49:57 +0000

This has definitely been a busy last few weeks for companies to reveal UI updates. Google launched a new menu, Twitter went live with a new look and Facebook has launched their new “Timeline” to the masses. Today, Zoho, a CRM platform also launched their new UI overhaul. According to Zoho Evangelist Raju Vegesna,

“Most of the business applications we see today in the market don’t focus on usability and user experience. We want to change that. We want to make business applications as user friendly as consumer apps. Zoho CRM is the first app redesigned with an enhanced focus on user productivity and improving the user experience of the application. We plan to extend this to other Zoho applications. We are also excited about extending our CRM application with new social features and integrations, as well as extending our user population. Zoho CRM just gained its 25,000th customer. We are extremely excited about the momentum, and we hope to see more users take advantage of our offering.”

Below is a video that showcases some of the new features and UI:

[Via Zoho]

Amazon Kindle UI to Receive Update in 2 Weeks

Troy Broas — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 23:42:49 +0000

The UI of the Amazon Kindle is scheduled to be updated before Christmas. According to several sources, customers on Amazon’s Kindle Fire forum have been complaining about several issues with the Fire’s UI, including sluggish response times and the “Lack of Privacy” in the Carousel area of the main screen. Currently the carousel displays recently used items, and Amazon is planning to provide options to allow users to address this issue, enhance navigation and fix several other issues with an over the air update.