Forum Discussion
Edge design on Android
vincentofearth "I think Microsoft should either go for internal consistency (Fluent Design everywhere) or platform consistency (Fluent Design on Windows, Material on Android, and whatever Apple calls theirs on macOS)."
I think that design should be as consistent as possible throughout the Microsoft ecosystem on any given platform, but that on a particular platform, the design motif should be consistent with the design principles for that platform (e.g. MacOs uses different design principles than Windows 10 or Android, for example). Internal consistency within platform, it seems to me, facilitates user familiarity and adaptability.
But consistency aside, I would really appreciate it if Microsoft would put user controls for turning design elements on or off much nearer the surface. As an example, I prefer to use as flat and simple a design as possible on all my devices (Windows, Linux, Android) both because of visual preference and to enhance performance, even on the most powerful of my devices. The controls for doing that do not exist in System controls, but instead are buried deep inside the traditional Control Panel (Control Panel, System and Security, System, Advanced system settings, Performance tab, Visual Effects tab) -- five-six layers down.
That is a long way down, and most users will stick with the defaults simply because they have no idea how to change things. I'd like to see a menu in Settings that gave users options.
tomscharbach I would also like more options for customizing the user interface. They need to balance this though because allowing users to change how the UI looks and feels can lead to inconsistencies and confusion.
For example, I use Windows at home and Mac OS at work. It would be nice to move the window control buttons to the left for consistency, but if a non-technical user did that accidentally, they'd be very confused. Additionally, many apps (especially win32 and Electron apps) customize the title bar and have their own window controls. Given the diversity of the Windows app ecosystem, Microsoft would need to strike a careful balance if they're to provide these kinds of advanced customization options.