app design

Microsoft’s insistence that the “new Outlook” for Windows delivers a native experience has ignited one of the more consequential UX debates in the Windows ecosystem this year: a web-first client shipped as the default, with missing functionality, ads for free users, and a forced migration that...

Microsoft has quietly rolled out a refreshed right‑click experience for Notepad in Windows 11, aligning the long‑running text editor with the redesigned, streamlined context menus Microsoft introduced across the OS — a change now appearing in Notepad builds shipping to Windows Insiders and...

WhatsApp's recent transition from a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) application to a Progressive Web App (PWA) on Windows has sparked considerable discussion among users and developers alike. This shift marks a significant change in the application's architecture and user experience, prompting...

WhatsApp, long celebrated as one of the best-executed native apps for Windows 11, is undergoing a major architectural shift that has taken many by surprise. After several years invested in WinUI and native platform integration, Meta has now decided to abandon the Universal Windows Platform (UWP)...

One thing I'd like to do is make the titlebar of every single app I open on my Windows 11 look like the Windows Vista titlebar. On XP, 7, and Vista, apps weren't able to have custom titlebars. Now they are, and it sucks. Anyone know how to change it?

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are beginning to roll out the new Media Player for Windows 11 to all Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel. We designed the new Media Player to make listening to and watching your multimedia content more enjoyable on Windows 11, and we’re really excited to...

Link Removed is about making your app usable to the largest possible audience. For some apps, accessibility is required by law. For others, it’s part of the service you are offering to a specific audience and a way to make your app more generally appealing. Choosing to incorporate accessibility...

There are plenty of well-designed apps out there. Often what distinguishes a great Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app from a good one is the small touches, like animations and audio cues. This post will provide guidance on some of the subtle nuances that can help you take your app to the next...

While a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app should be visually appealing, it should also project the voice of the original app creators from time to time. After all, a good user experience is ultimately a human-centric experience. Communicating effectively with your users requires the...

In the past several posts, we have covered user interface (UI) design concepts such as typography, visual cues, and design thinking. In today’s blog, however, we will look at a topic that has much less to do with solving UI design problems and much more to do with solving user experience (UX)...

Link Removed Device Family resolution break points In porting your phone app to the Universal Windows Platform (UWP), one of the main challenges you’ll face is coming up with reasonable visual designs for the wide variety of devices and form factors supported by UWP. The advantage of taking...

Link Removed Iconography is a visual language used to represent features, functionality, or content. Icons are meant to be simple, visual elements that are recognized and understood immediately. In a previous post, we explored communication through visual cues. We also dove a little deeper...

Link Removed If design can be said to have one big secret, something that makes designers what they are and distinguishes them from coders, it is sketching. At the same time, it is an easy skill to learn—though not to master—and you have probably been doing it all of your life without realizing...

Hi Here's another example of why I hate apps! I decided to try the 7Zip Opener app, I always use 7-Zip anyway and maybe the app will make it easy to use. It's very easy to start with. So I install the app, (now with the normal desktop version of 7-Zip you just right click on the .zip or .rar...

When you design your Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app, you're designing in effective pixels, not actual physical pixels. Using effective pixels lets your Universal Windows Platform app scale to different screen sizes. Watch this video to understand the concepts and then read the complete...

Hi One of my friends just called and asked my how to add addresses to his address book in the Windows 10 mail app. I said just a minute and booted up my computer and opened up the mail app. This should be easy, right? Well after about 10 minutes of trying to find a way to even see the address...

Designing an app isn’t about patterns or controls—it’s about creating a great experience for your users, every time. While you’re designing with the optimal user experience (UX) in mind, you also have to think about using color effectively, implementing usable controls, and understanding what...

Brent Rector, a principal program manager on Windows helped write this post. The Universal Windows Platform (UWP) allows you to write your app once and target multiple device families, while also taking advantage of new APIs introduced on later versions of the OS as well as using unique APIs...

Building Windows 10 IoT? Then you'll want to check out the Link Removed and Brian Rockwell's great post on how to use it... Link Removed AllJoyn® in Windows® 10 An AllJoyn® development toolkit to quick-start AllJoyn® development. The AllSeen Alliance created AllJoyn® to empower the Internet...

Microsoft Engineering team blog follows on from the building mail app blog: Link Removed and details the Calendar app. Full article: Link Removed