Microsoft Explains Windows 11 Changes

Microsoft has explained the thinking behind some of the main changes in Windows 11. It's also tweaked a notification feature that could have been unnecessarily annoying.

According to Microsoft it used a "new approach" in designing Windows 11. It suggests that the "new approach" was to give users what they wanted.

The move to "human-centered design practices" involved giving users several pieces of paper marked with different operating system features and asking them to arrange them in order of importance.

In an amazing coincidence, Microsoft says "the research matched up perfectly with the feature redesigns we envisioned for Windows 11." (Source: windows.com)

Central Location 'More Consistent'

The gist of the process is that Microsoft has now realized that people don't turn on a computer to use Windows, but rather to carry out a task such as editing a document, opening a website or playing a streaming video. As a result they want Windows to make this happen "and then get out of the way."

These revolutionary findings are, according to Microsoft, the basis for moving the Start menu to the middle of the bottom of the screen, rather than the left-hand side. The logic is partly that this is more familiar to smartphone users and partly to make the placement more consistent across different types of device and screen set-ups.

It's also why Microsoft has redesigned the Settings menu to have a single list of categories that appears on every screen, with the individual and advanced settings only appearing when needed.

Endless Flashing Ditched

Meanwhile the latest test build of Windows 11 has revealed a change to the initial design, likely due to test feedback. It involves the way Windows indicates to the user that a particular application needs attention.

Originally the icon in the taskbar at the bottom of the screen would flash repeatedly until the user went into the application and dealt with the issue. To Microsoft's apparent surprise this turned out to be distracting.

Instead the icon will now briefly flash, then display a pale pink background behind the icon and a small red horizontal line beneath. (Source: theregister.com)

What's Your Opinion?

Does Microsoft's explanation make sense to you? Are you encouraged by the apparent move to taking more notice of user feedback? Is it better to redesign software to make it simpler to use or does it just cause more confusion to people already used to the existing navigation?