Forum Discussion
Discussion - Updating our interface with Fluent touches
Thank you so much for all your feedback on the overall design of the new version of Edge, as it is invaluable to our getting the experience right. A common thread through this feedback has been a lot of discussion about the definition of “Fluent” design, and how it should apply to Microsoft products, so we wanted to share an update to provide some clarity. As opposed to a specific or static set of design rules, Fluent is intended to be an ever-evolving design system across Microsoft products. As the world around us continues to evolve, including devices, interaction models, user habits and expectations, the Microsoft design system must also evolve to meet the changing needs of our users. This means Fluent will not necessarily always represent everything that it did several years ago when the look and feel of the legacy version of Edge was first developed. You can learn more about the current direction of Fluent by visiting the Fluent Design System Page, which provides a summary of the design system as a whole, as well as how it applies to different platforms, applications and controls across Microsoft.
If you browse through the Fluent guidance at the link above, you’ll note that the new version of Edge is aligned with the current direction Fluent is going, and we will continue to evolve along with the design system and Microsoft as a whole. While Edge may be one of the first to put some of these new Fluent elements into practice, you will continue to see other products across the company update to reflect this direction as well. For example, you’ll notice that the latest Fluent designs are characterized by rounded corners across objects and controls, and the new version of Edge is consistent with that guidance. Another example is that there isn't a pivotal focus on transparency in the latest Fluent designs, and surfaces of the new version of Edge reflects this.
This is not to say we will never consider incorporating such aspects into our designs going forward, or perhaps offering options to customize the look and feel, but there are no plans to incorporate these elements into the default experience for all users at this time. However, there are other design investments on our roadmap to continue aligning with the broader Fluent direction, such as updating icons and illustrations across the product. Please continue to send your feedback on the overall Edge look and feel, including preferences and pain points, as we are always open to learning more and updating our direction based on the needs of our users.
- The Microsoft Edge Team
Elliot Kirk First of all, thank you for finally approaching the UI issues.
Regarding the questions, I personally do not care about being able to re-colour or theme the browser, I would rather appreciate a more consistent design of Microsoft's products - something you have a great tradition to fail on. If you look at Windows, the start button is square, the Cortana bar is square, the task bar icons are square, the live tiles are square, the buttons are square ... in your Edge, everthing is rounded - I think you get it.
Using the browser almost exclusively maximised, I almost never see much of the translucency of the title bar. However, it is still a cool feature and it still would be nice having the fluent look of menus and context menus as one of the guys here mentioned.
I was annoyed a long time by the size of the address bar, which is larger than in IE and the first Edge. However, I finally found that the thing that bothers me is not the address bar itself, but the very weird behaviour of your Edge adding additional spacing at the top when it is not maximised. I do not see the point of wasting the pixels at the very top if the browser is windowed or in a side-by-side configuration. Can't you just get rid of this?
Animations are not a top priority for me personally - except for if you consider the swipe back and forth behaviour with the whole content moving with the finger an animation. This was a much better indicator of what is happening than the weird blue arrow, which makes the interaction feel as if something would not work.
Reveal on the buttons etc. instead of the solid colour highlight would also a bonus - you remember consistency and so ...
Btw., as a developer, I wonder whether Microsoft plans to bring the fluent UI features to Win32/C++ as you are adding it to the browser?
HotCakeX See https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uwp/design/style/rounded-corner
Also, Windows 10X (now in beta) uses a rounded corner UI across the board, and this seems to be the future for Windows 10 in general. Further, a new video released by Panos Panay's Windows team celebrating the evolution of Windows, shows a sneak peak of upcoming concepts, and appears to show a rounded corner Start menu (although it's a low-res video, so hard to see clearly).
- Thank you, they indeed look better when they are smooth and curvy 🙂
