Windows 8 Modern UI Design Concepts

1. Modern UI Style OverviewJake Taylor10.19.2012

2. What Are We Going To Cover? General Design Concepts and Guidelines Navigating the Windows 8 Modern UI Experience Some Apps Are Doing Modern UI Well Some Apps Are Doing Modern UI Not So Well What Does This Mean to Us?2 Modern UI Style Overview / Jake Taylor / 8.24.2012

3. General Design Concepts“Content is the heart of Metro MUI style apps, andputting content before chrome is fundamental to thedesign of Metro style apps.” ~ Microsoft Clean and Open Layout Clear Information Hierarchy Leverage the Edge Invest in a Great Tile Design for Touch and Be Fast and Fluid3 Modern UI Style Overview / Jake Taylor / 8.24.2012

4. General Design ConceptsClean and Open Layout Leave only the most relevant elements on screen. Give content breathing room by removing lines, boxes, and unnecessary graphical effects like blurs and gradients. Use open space to frame the content. Limit navigational chrome that is persistently on screen, such as tabs. Let people focus on the current content, and avoid distracting them with way-finding chrome. Cinematic letterbox layout – Horizontal layouts instead of Vertical *From Microsoft engadget Homepage engadget Details Page4 Modern UI Style Overview / Jake Taylor / 8.24.2012

5. General Design ConceptsClear Information HierarchyUse size, weight, and color in text consistently to convey information on a piece of contents importance. The set ofvariations should be small, so people can easily see how content fits together in the overall hierarchy. *From MicrosoftReference: Guidelines for text and typography Stockholm Travel Homepage 5 Modern UI Style Overview / Jake Taylor / 8.24.2012

6. General Design Concepts Leverage the Edge  Place commands in the app bar, which can be brought up on demand through a swipe from the top or bottom edge, and can be dismissed when users have completed their actions.  Leverage the charms, which can be brought up on demand through a swipe from the right edge, for invoking the Search, Share, Devices, or Settings charms. *From MicrosoftSkyDrive app bar Bing Sports app bar 6 Modern UI Style Overview / Jake Taylor / 8.24.2012

7. General Design ConceptsInvest in a Great Tile“A tile is the front door into an app. Sitting on the Start screen, it is an extension of the app and can providemuch more personal and engaging information than a traditional icon. Invest in designing a great tile to drawpeople into your app.” ~ Microsoft Good Bad 7 Modern UI Style Overview / Jake Taylor / 8.24.2012

8. General Design ConceptsDesign for Touch and Be Fast and Fluid“Metro MUI style apps are designed to be touch first. They leverage the hands andfingers for what they are great at, with comfort and ergonomics in mind.” ~ Microsoft Leverage the Animation Librarys set of scenario-specific animations, designed to convey information. Think Mobile First. How would I interact with this design on my Phone or Tablet?8 Modern UI Style Overview / Jake Taylor / 8.24.2012

9. Navigating the Modern UI ExperienceStart Screen Application Name User Name and Profile Avatar Tile based application launch Zoom out You still have the old desktop Horizontal scrollbar9 Modern UI Style Overview / Jake Taylor / 8.24.2012

10. Navigating the Modern UI ExperienceYou can zoom out and name your groups of tilesClick on the Zoom Out button in the lower right corner Right Click on a group of tiles to name themRight Click on the Desktop 10 Modern UI Style Overview / Jake Taylor / 8.24.2012

11. Navigating the Modern UI Experience You can use the app bar to pin/unpin tiles and make them large or smallAvailable actions for a single tile selected using Right Click Available actions when multiple tiles are selected 11 Modern UI Style Overview / Jake Taylor / 8.24.2012

12. Navigating the Modern UI Experience Hot Spot/Hot Corner On Hover MenusHover againstthe left side ofthe screen Hover in the upper right corner or bottom right cornerCurrently open of the screenapps menu Charms bar 12 Modern UI Style Overview / Jake Taylor / 8.24.2012

13. Navigating the Modern UI ExperienceWhat is the Charms bar?The charms bar can be accessed at anytime by hovering on the upper right or lower right corner of your screen. On atablet it would be a swipe from the right edge of the tablet. Search is contextual to where you are. If your on the Start screen and search you’ll be searching your entire computer, if your within an app you’ll be searching the content within the app. If the content within an app is shareable this will be the easy way to share the content you are viewing via any service you might have connected to your account. Twitter, Facebook, Mail, etc… Will take you back to your Start screen Allows you to print or send content to other windows 8 RT devices (phones & tablets) Similar to the Search feature, Settings is contextual and will apply to where you are. 13 Modern UI Style Overview / Jake Taylor / 8.24.2012

14. Navigating the Modern UI ExperienceHot Corner On Hover Menus cont…Hovering over the upper left corner will show you the last application youused and you are able to left click and quickly cycle thru your openapplications You will always be able to get back to the Start screen tiles by hovering over the bottom left corner and using a left click14 Modern UI Style Overview / Jake Taylor / 8.24.2012

15. Some Apps Are Doing Modern UI Well15 Modern UI Style Overview / Jake Taylor / 8.24.2012

20. Some Apps Are Doing Modern UI Not So Well20 Modern UI Style Overview / Jake Taylor / 8.24.2012

21. Some Apps Are Doing Modern UI Not So Well21 Modern UI Style Overview / Jake Taylor / 8.24.2012

22. Some Apps Are Doing Modern UI Not So Well22 Windows 8 UI Style Overview / Jake Taylor / 8.15.2012

23. What Does This Mean to Us?23 Windows 8 UI Style Overview / Jake Taylor / 8.15.2012

24. What Does This Mean to Us? Review the Modern UI online style guide to ensure you are leveraging inherit interactions Design with content over chrome in mind, make use of typography and good imagery Leverage areas like the app bar (for navigation or actions) and charms bar (for sharing) When creating content layouts think horizontally instead of vertically Think mobile first and design for touch (where applicable)24 Windows 8 UI Style Overview / Jake Taylor / 8.15.2012

25. Bonus Resources – Axure MUI Library25 Windows 8 UI Style Overview / Jake Taylor / 8.15.2012

26. Bonus Resources – Metro Studio 226 Windows 8 UI Style Overview / Jake Taylor / 8.15.2012

27. ReferencesModern UI Style Guide PDF:http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/hh465418.aspxDesigning UX for apps:http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/hh779072.aspxMake great Metro style apps:http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/windows/apps/hh464920.aspxMobile First:http://www.lukew.com/resources/mobile_first.asphttp://www.abookapart.com/products/mobile-firstMUI Axure Libraries:http://netcraft.co.il/metrowidget/home.htmlMetro Studio 2:http://www.syncfusion.com/downloads/metrostudio27