Discussion - Updating our interface with Fluent touches

[Elliot Kirk]

Hi Insiders. We have received a whole lot of feedback on the overall design of the next version of Microsoft Edge. First off, we would like to thank you all for the feedback that you have submitted.  We also want you to know that we are continuing to evolve the look and feel of the new Microsoft Edge.  You can see our progress in our new icon, in the changes to dark theme, on the layout of the settings pages and in the style of the controls that we have added so far. Our goal has been to modernize the next version of Microsoft Edge while keeping the feel of the original. In the five years since we released the first Microsoft Edge browser with Windows 10, the Microsoft Design Language has and will continue to change and adapt.  We have been evolving our user interface with this in mind and may be the first place you see some of these changes. We are planning on continuing to apply elements of the Microsoft Design Language to align with other Microsoft products.

We are thrilled with how much you think about the look and feel of the new Microsoft Edge browser.  As we dug into the feedback, we found different ideas lumped together into very broad buckets and felt like we needed to re-sort the issues into new categories that are more specific to the actual issues that were being discussed.  The previous categories that we have been reporting on are:

• Update the user interface with the Fluent Design System
• Make tabs more square and less rounded, like the current version of Microsoft Edge
• Provide a transparent theme for the browser frame
• The address bar and text are too large

The first step of this journey was to dig into each of the feedback items individually and understand what your ask was, and if there was a reason listed for the feedback.  This helped us better understand why you are asking for these changes.  The next step we took was to recombine the feedback and sort it into more specific buckets.  We understand change is challenging, and we are not changing our interface just to be different.  We have been working closely with our designers to get a look and feel that aligns with our Fluent Design language and meets our standards for usability and accessibility.  It is our goal for our design to be easier to use on a daily basis.  When you provide feedback, it helps us to challenge our assumptions and makes us reanalyze our conclusions.

Based on this analysis, we are seeing the following themes emerge from your comments: we will be tracking and following feedback in these categories going forward:

• Ability to add distinct color or color themes to the main browser interface.
• Add transparency or other material effect to the main browser interface.
• The corners of the tabs and browser buttons have been rounded too much.
• Make the tab band and address bar / toolbar smaller if device doesn’t support touch capability.
• Update or add animations to user interface.
• Add a reveal effect to highlight on mouse hover.

We would love to start talking about these items now.  Please let us know if you think that we are on the right track with the changes we have made so far. The most impactful feedback is that which lists the task that you are trying to accomplish, the challenges that you face while accomplishing it, and your ideas on how it could be made easier. Also, feel free to reach out if you think that we have missed something important here.  We will always take feedback and suggestions to help us make this the best, fastest, most productive browser possible.

[#2]

Given Microsoft's constant push for accessibility, making the address bar smaller makes ZERO freaking sense. Please revert the change (make it bigger again) or give us the option to!

[#3]

The address bar is very good like that, if some people find it too small, you have to use the zoom 

[#4]

Not all people like everything to be too small
And currently not how to change the size
So we are asking the team to add options for the user to choose the size

[#5]

That an option be added, why not, otherwise it is the same size as in other browsers (Chrome, etc ...) 

Address bars too big, too wide, it's really not pretty

We have the impression of being on a tablet or that it is for the visually impaired (I have nothing against them by the way)

[#6]

@tistou 

Hello!

I use high contrast and enlarged scaling in Windows, so I do not know what is the default size of the address bar, but surely the ability to reduce or zoom in would be perfect for everyone! 

[#7]

Hello

Yes, an option to enlarge it would be good (for everyone) but not enlarge by default, without option :)

[#8]

After the most recent v91 update, on macOS the address bar font size is quite small. I'm convinced that it is even smaller than most website fonts, like 9pt or less. This is hard to read.

[#9]

In addition, I am totally fine with the new UI size, but just the font size of address is too small.

[#10]

@xfoxfu 

Well Actually You Are right! They should make a slider for changing the font size of the address bar, As simple as that!!

[#11]

@tistou 

Yes the default value may remain so, but a slider to zoom in would be a suitable solution!

Young users have excellent eyesight and im too big a text size can disturb!  

[#12]

@Elliot Kirk 

Please for the love of God change the address bar size to what it was before last change. I can not read anything and there is no way to change it. AWFUL AWFUL User interface. THis was the main reason why I was using Edge vs Chrome and now you have taken this away. I guess I will go to Firefox or some other browser that has a readable addressbar

[#13]

there is no zoom to increase the address bar size. If you happen to know inside hack to change it let everyone know please

[#14]

@sdmarathe @Elliot Kirk 

MS must not increase the size (by default), we are not on tablets and the font size matches other fonts :)

Or MS adds an option or it is necessary to increase the scale under Windows to 125 or 150% (or the pitch/resolution of your monitor is not for you) ;)

It's very good as it is now

[#15]

@tistou 

Yes, but adjusting the scaling in the system requires skill and for each device must be individually adjusted and it enlarges all the elements of the screen!

[#16]

@A1 

The font size in the Edge address bar is the same as in Windows, do as you did in Windows ;)

[#17]

@tistou 

Thank you 

I have no problem with the settings!

But many users definitely point out that this is a problem for them! :}

[#18]

@A1 

Actually yes,
Many of the users have problem with the new size which not only is easier to look and read the text properly from a comfortable distance but also it looks sometimes odd that the text is too small for the big address bar!!

You Know, I and some users actually got adjusted to the new small size, but we still would love a big, comfy address bar which is not as chrome that is too small to read on a 1920x1080 Screen!!

But what the users comfortable with the new address bar and don't want to see it getting reverted??

A very simple, useful and wise solution
Add a bloody slider or drop-down menu(or list or whatever it is) like the one in windows!!
Also power the slider so that not only it can change the address bar's text size but also the other elements and text size!!

• So-
  First of all revert the current size,
  Then add a slider to control the size of  the elements
• Then, If them want they can create a tablet mode (like the one in windows) which minimizes the menu into big icons and text, which will be easier to use on tablet devices  

And one more thing(thank you for reading this long)

Microsoft if you are really looking into this feedbacks please do it fast because we are discussing on this topic for about  50 Days and still no action has been taken or else clearly state that no change will be done in the address bar so we can focus on something new on edge!!

Please ignore any grammatical mistakes and I will be really sorry for them. 

Thank You

Have a great day!

Josimhae!(I Am A BTS Army ;)

[#19]

So I fully agree with you! 50 weeks is definitely too long in this case!

[#20]

The best for everyone is indeed an option to configure as desired 

I was in 1080p before, the address bar was too small, big font
I switched to 1440p and it's perfect, long address bar, small font, struggled to get used to it at first, but once it's done it's so much prettier to not no longer have the "touch screen" effect on a monitor (everything is done for touch)

The fashion for "everything wholesale" like on tablets, on a monitor it's just horrible

After the topic talks about Fluent Touch, not really related to the font size 

[#21]

@tistou I already have it zoomed to 150% system zoom and it STILL shows small in addressbar. Not everyone has god eyesight like some youngsters! Give us a choice