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Interesting Windows Desktop UI Concept

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Re: Interesting Windows Desktop UI Concept

#51

Post by kellishaver »

robszumski wrote: post #46
nchlswu wrote: post #31

Not to take away from the work, but am I missing something? This strikes me as primarily being a visual design or what some people call a theme. This is a great visual design. It's cohesive and incorporates zune/metro very well. I particularly like how the focus window is highlighted and everything else fades a little. However, I think this redesign (and Metro itself) also highlights how minimalism isn't necessarily…

I love visual design exercises like this, but it's one thing to throw it out there and a completely separate (10000x harder) feat to actually have this implemented. If you usability test this interface, it's going to fail all over the place. Remember, Windows is probably the only piece of software with EVERY SINGLE segment of users. http://cdn.robszumski.com/share/file-copy.png The file copy window that's tacked on t…

Usability issues aside, the UI is so flat and, in places, so low-contrast, there's a large segment of the population that wouldn't be able to see it, let alone use it.

Re: Interesting Windows Desktop UI Concept

#52

Post by dhx »

robszumski wrote: post #46
nchlswu wrote: post #31

Not to take away from the work, but am I missing something? This strikes me as primarily being a visual design or what some people call a theme. This is a great visual design. It's cohesive and incorporates zune/metro very well. I particularly like how the focus window is highlighted and everything else fades a little. However, I think this redesign (and Metro itself) also highlights how minimalism isn't necessarily…

I love visual design exercises like this, but it's one thing to throw it out there and a completely separate (10000x harder) feat to actually have this implemented. If you usability test this interface, it's going to fail all over the place. Remember, Windows is probably the only piece of software with EVERY SINGLE segment of users. http://cdn.robszumski.com/share/file-copy.png The file copy window that's tacked on t…

I don't quite understand the benefit of a transfer speed vs. progress percentage plot. Transfer speed should be viewed as a function of time.

Re: Interesting Windows Desktop UI Concept

#53

Post by pbreit »

Since this will never make its way onto Windows, maybe some Linux distro or UI manager could pick it up? Is this more than the typical skinning/theming capabilities can support?

I also always wished the BeOS UI was more available now than just the Haiku project.

Re: Interesting Windows Desktop UI Concept

#58

Post by zacharycohn »

sek wrote: post #9
th0ma5 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

there's a field of color theory, concepts like compliments, but then tertiary compliments, and several other forms. unobtrusive gets into an overlap of usability concerns, taste, colorblindness, and just overall theme. i'm sure if you just pay attention to a little more and google some you can find answers to what you're looking for. ubuntu has a nifty color theory utility called avage ... and there are sites like co…

The thing is, i look at this theme and i know it looks great, but i can't understand why! As an hacker really bugs me. I know this color tools, but what are the ingredients that makes something look good compared to another design? When i think the rounded colors are the reason, something like this comes up and proves me wrong. I am aware design is not a trivial matter (i work at IDEO), but where do i start?

I really like the book Design for Hackers http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005J578EW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... by David Kadavy.

I read it, and I've told about six of my friends to buy it. They all have, and we've all gone from really no design sense whatsoever to at least being able to understand WHY something looks good (or not)

Re: Interesting Windows Desktop UI Concept

#60

Post by nchlswu »

robszumski wrote: post #46
nchlswu wrote: post #31

Not to take away from the work, but am I missing something? This strikes me as primarily being a visual design or what some people call a theme. This is a great visual design. It's cohesive and incorporates zune/metro very well. I particularly like how the focus window is highlighted and everything else fades a little. However, I think this redesign (and Metro itself) also highlights how minimalism isn't necessarily…

I love visual design exercises like this, but it's one thing to throw it out there and a completely separate (10000x harder) feat to actually have this implemented. If you usability test this interface, it's going to fail all over the place. Remember, Windows is probably the only piece of software with EVERY SINGLE segment of users. http://cdn.robszumski.com/share/file-copy.png The file copy window that's tacked on t…

>I love visual design exercises like this, but it's one thing to throw it out there and a completely separate (10000x harder) feat to actually have this implemented. If you usability test this interface, it's going to fail all over the place. Remember, Windows is probably the only piece of software with EVERY SINGLE segment of users.

100% agree. I love looking at these visual designs, but most of the time they weren't done with real usability concerns in mind.

When it comes to commenters saying the author should be hired by Microsoft, something like that would definitely almost never happen in this industry but it seems like some shops really embrace the handing off the design reigns to graphic designers. Google and RIM have both shifted the direction of their UI approach to departments with visual design backgrounds and less usability, human factors or research driven design backgrounds. There's been a lot of attention directed at Google and I'm curious of RIM's choices pan out, as The Astonishing Tribe appears to have full reigns of RIM's BB UI.

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