…voila! They are now running as Modern applications in Metro and I can continue what I was doing in an app better designed for the environment I’m now in.

ALSO…

Give the option for individual DPI (scaling) settings for every app.

I don’t care if Steam is bigger, but my designs apps needs to stay with 1:1 pixels. Same goes for some Metro apps that I want bigger for ease of use and some denser for more information on screen. On top of the general DPI setting with “smaller” and “bigger” add an individual option for all apps in their Settings menu. I like having 1080p worth of Live Tiles on my Start Screen with 5 rows, but it sucks to use the Metrotube app in 1080p that crams everything super small on the top left, same with Facebook (what’s wrong with your font guys?).

Don't be shy with information

I don’t know what the designers at Microsoft are thinking, but it’s better to give a lot more information about how to use your new OS (and make sure you can turn off the help tips if you don’t need them) than less. Windows 8.1 made it a tiny bit better with a great help section, but far far from acceptable since they don’t even guide the users there; they need to figure out that somewhere there’s help. At least, like shown on top, show them where they can find help. Help your users!

Fix Xbox Music

Xbox Music is awesome, yet flawed. There is no reason for the same song from the same album to be listed multiple times. And then -poof- one day it gives me an error when I want to play it from my collection and I have to delete it and go get that same song back from another “version” whatever that means. Also, there is no reason in this world why my Windows Phone shouldn’t download automatically every new song I add from the website or my computers. For me to manually download every song, be stuck with cloud play or to wait to sync with my computer is unacceptable. And please, when I download an album on my Windows Phone, add it to my Xbox Music collections! If you’re not sure how to please all users… give the option, you have a settings zone made just for that! And please fix all of the glitches, pauses between songs and frozen tracks on all your apps. P.S. Bring back the awesome Zune “Now Playing” cover art and visualizations!

Optimize Microsoft Office

Sorry, but I doesn’t make any sense that Word 2013 freezes on me for 30 seconds every time I open a document, on all my computers. Maybe it’s Adobe, maybe my HP Printer, I don’t care! Optimize your software on multiple computers because I tried all of your tips and tricks online and it still hangs and stops responding at every document I open and I have to wait in from on my screen like an idiot for Word to unfreeze to continue working. It doesn’t make sense for 3 different super computers including one of your own (Surface Pro 2) to freeze with your flagship software.

Simple productivity tips

When I have a notification on my desktop I have to aim for the little tiny “X” on the top right of the notification. Now, I understand that on a touchscreen it’s fairly easy to just toss it away on the side, but with a mouse and keyboard it’s frustrating. Right clicking on a notification does absolutely nothing right now, why can’t you map that to “close”. Same with the Start Screen, you have to aim the tiny little arrow to access the apps page, why can’t you do a simple shortcut like double clicking between the tiles (anywhere around) to go to the apps view. Or the picture password screen where typing doesn’t change anything, but I still have to get out and switch to PIN or password input if I want to use those...why not let me just use my PIN when I’m in front of the picture password if the keys aren’t being used anyways. Simple tricks like that enhance the experience because they’re quick little productivity shortcuts that help the everyday and does no harm since these shortcut does not affect regular operation.

Give more options.

If you’re unsure about a feature, functionality, look or anything else about Windows, give the users a switch for it. You learned this the hard way with the default boot to Start Screen Metro, just give all users an option for it, NEVER force something down users’ throats. It isn’t failure if a user falls back to an old way that does no harm, in fact it’s a win since you can please a broader audience at the same time. Facebook should learn from this!

Check the Sleep/Wake button behavior.

My Surface Pro 2 has this weird thing where I have no idea what’s happening. I press the sleep/wake button to wake up the device, but it stays black for like 5 seconds. So, I press back on the button because I think that it didn’t get it the first time, but now nothing happens like if it was actually waking up, but now I sent it back to sleep. Sometimes I play that wake/sleep/wake game for a good minute! Make it faster or at least light up the screen immediately to tell the user that the Surface is waking up. I had the same problem with my Dell XPS 12. Turning on and off my Surface Pro 2 is sometimes faster than getting in and out of sleep mode.

Check for weird application behavior.

I open the Facebook app and sometimes I will click on comments on a post to see them and the little box will just stay white. If I click on my messages to chat, they will simply not load. Closing and reopening the app doesn’t fix the problem and I have to restart the whole computer. Now I don’t care if the issue isn’t from your side (I’m sure it is since apps gets weird when coming back from sleep mode from time to time), but find a way to fix or optimize it. People will still blame you on the lacking experience, especially when the majority of consumers have a list of apps in their head and not the general greatness of your device. Your own apps are having problems too! When a webpage does not load on Metro IE always searching, but it loads in a heartbeat on Desktop Chrome, that’s an issue and your whole OS something feels unreliable.

Explore the Xbox One/Windows 8 link.

I want to plug my computer through the Xbox One. I could be writing this and then shout “Xbox, play Battlefield 4” and switch between my work and play in seconds. I’m sure there’s a LOT that could be done if your Windows 8 PC is plugged in the HDMI IN of the Xbox. That’s an idea to explore because it could bring some huge amazing features!

Check your Surface Covers “reset”.

The Type Cover 2 on my Surface Pro 2 is amazing, too bad since I loved the feel of the Touch Cover especially when I’m flipping it for tablet use. Great stuff, but why is my touchpad unresponsive sometimes… for no reason. It really breaks the magic to unclick and click back the cover.

Fix Skype.

…but you already know all the problems and you’re fixing it, so keep going!

Call Windows RT, Windows Lite.

I know you will hate that because Lite means cheaper or less… but that’s what Windows RT is. By changing the name to Windows Lite at least it will explain what the OS on your tablet is just with the name and it fits nicely too with the rest!

Windows 8 Lite

Windows 8

Windows 8 Pro

Windows 8 Enterprise

It’s super easy to say “Windows 8 Lite is the Windows you love with thousands of your favorite apps in the Windows Store”. Of course the “Lite” moniker says that’s it’s a version with less features, but you’re still WAYYY ahead of iOS in terms of function so you’re good!

Kill the forced update restart.

If there’s an update I want Windows to tell me, but I don’t want to be annoyed by it. Limit your alerts (that blocks the whole damn screen on top of that) to once per session and use the regular notification format too. Also, it does not make any sense for me to “Restart to update”. When you’re asking a user to restart for an update it means that he’s actually using the computer and you want him to close and stop everything for Windows to apply the update. Why do you wait to the point that it’s critical in order to offer the “Update and Shut Down” option… this is the time where you’re done with the computer and you don’t really care if it updates. And please, kill the forced update alert with the countdown sequence where I clearly say LATER (because there’s no other option) and that you take it as an “All right then, in 15 minutes in the middle of your work, close everything and update! Got it!” Whoever decided that this is a good idea should be revoked from his UX Designer license. I know that doesn’t exist, but idiotic decisions/mistakes like that calls for a big push with this idea.

CONCLUSION

I really hate conclusions. They’re supposed to close perfectly everything you described, wrote and showed on top of it, but I don’t think that one is necessary for this research project slash design exercise. Microsoft needs a separate group of designers testing the product and getting all of the inconsistencies. That same group could also focus on advanced UX research and product development. Think of Pioneer Studios… but this time make sure that they work with Microsoft products, services and plans. You have a lot of talented people, but when I point out some simple problems in the OS like completely different looking dialog menus between the Search bar and the sorting options in the “All Apps” view and that can’t even be fixed, you have a big problem. Your competitor is charging more for a childish looking OS that can’t even run two things at the same time or even give any kind of useful information through the stretch iPod Touch interface. The day they will use all of their great Apple powers to design amazing things and not iterate to generate more cash, you need to be prepared. Consummers are getting more intelligent and more informed and they’re buying less and less Apple products. The day Apple will demonstrate their superiority again, it’s not with the current version of Windows that you’ll be convincing. iOS has all the apps so at least compensate with a flawless interface. It works for me, but I am not the majority nor the target. And of course let’s not talk about Google, they have Matias Duarte and the Android ecosystem is growing excessively fast: you’ll get in big trouble pretty soon if you don’t move your asses!

By the way… If you’re an Apple user/fan and you’re reading all of my rant and you’re saying to yourself “Whew! That’s why I use iOS and OS X”, trust me, I find those two way worse and annoying and this is why I went back to Microsoft’s world. I know where my place is now, but if I can do anything to improve my place even if it’s a single little detail, then this is all worth it. To all users always whining about Microsoft’s decisions, just think about it for a second. If they try to innovate and do things differently, you whine. When they listen to your feedback and revert the changes you say that they don’t know what they’re doing. So please, say something constructive or be quiet. It will sound funny, but the Apple forum at The Verge actually helped me a LOT. Whining gets nowhere, explaining your opinion actually does something.

I use Office, Xbox Music, Xbox Live, Skype Premium, Windows 8, a Surface Pro 2, even Azure, Windows Phone and soon getting an Xbox One on top of my 360, so I want to improve the stuff I use and help the people who’s trying to innovate. Microsoft this is all yours, please take all of it. In case the whole world hates my ideas and designs, please ignore all of this. If they do like it though, I will accept a nice big check with my name on it or you know Microsoft money… I really want to get the new Xbox One with a nice collection of digital games!

Now what will be my on-the-side project? Fixing Windows Phone? Fixing iOS? Designing Windows 9? For now it’ll be sleeping…

You can download all of the JPEGs in better quality right here.

You can also check the links on the side (or top for mobile) for my Twitter, Facebook page and YouTube channel!

Jay Machalani

UX/UI & Branding Architect

2013

Thanks to Tom Warren from The Verge, users of The Verge forums,

My friend Carl Caron for some good ideas,

The wallpaper featured is from the great Jan Thoma called "Blue Mountains". It can be found on InterfaceLIFT.

Go check out MetroTwit of an amazingly designed Classic and Modern app,

Andrew Howell from Microsoft helping me with some very useful research material

...and eventually Rami Sayar from Microsoft the day you will have 5 minutes to respond to my emails.