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]

I'm not pushing for anything like that. I'm just asking for an option for the non touch user who has a lot of bookmarks organized in multiple folders on the bookmark bar and use 14-15 inch screens. The current interface is best suited for Touch Screens as well as bigger sized displays. It's probably Ok if you don't work much with bookmarks inside folders and don't use the right click context menus much. It's also probably Ok if you fall into the other category that I mentioned above. And also I don't think everyone's needs and opinions should be same. Me and multiple other users who are facing this issue, are only asking for an option and NOT asking for a permanent change to the interface. About using Chrome, yes that's what me and several others have been doing for the past 1.5 years, despite having a better option in Edge. We just couldn't cope up with this UI. And a thread that was several pages long which was discussing this problem, had also been deleted without any reason.

[#3]

I use 15 inch screen and have a ton of bookmarks. I do not find the problem you do. You have to realize if you are young or with good eyesight - it does not matter. For middle aged folks like me without great eyesight, who do not use touch screen but use 15 inch laptop for work or home, this is a nightmare. Also, like I said, Chrome is doing these things to cater to one demographics of users while ignoring the needs of others. The least they should do is give users an option. As far as using Chrome - you at least have that option - I do not. So pardon me if I am not sympathetic to the users that want a Chrome like user interface. They can use Chrome or Opera or whatever the heck other Chromium based browsers. Edge was the only holdout among Chromium browsers that still had needs of many people like me covered and now we are left without a good browser. Firefox seems to have picked up on this "cool" trend as well alas. 

[#4]

The current design is fine, those who have problems with the size are that the screen (or scale in Windows) is not suitable for them

The size is the same as under the old Edge or the historical browser (IE)

The design where everything is big and ugly, we have given enough with the old versions of Windows

As I said before, the "tablet" mode (everything is wide and fat) on a monitor is just very ugly :)

[#5]

I agree fully.

[#6]

are you kidding me??? The screen I have used for last 5 years is not suitable for me all of a sudden? Do you even hear yourself? Ang again, the old mode was NOT tablet mode and it did NOT look ugly. If you want smaller size feel free to go back to Chrome. The size is NOT same as under old edge it certainly is same as Old IE but that is why old IE was a piece of crap. Dont you remember firefox and Chrome address bar size was bigger as late as version 70 - which is only 2 years ago. And Chrome at that time looked fantastic UI!

[#7]

@sdmarathe 

Hello everyone!

Before us a fundamental change in the appearance of Windows, it is not worth continuing to argue!

Integration of edge appearance and address bar and other elements will be coming soon!

Good luck to everyone!

[#8]

is edge going to continue this crappy trend of copying bad UI elements of recent Chrome UI changes? If so I would be utterly disgusted. if things get better with 11, I will look forward to upgrading my home browser. However it will likely be 5 more years of this awful browser experience on my work PC which will likely not get updated until 2025 :o

[#9]

I think we should stop discussing on this topic because Microsoft is ignoring this feedback and we are also discussing on this topic from more than 2 months.
But still I think 21H2 will integrate edge with windows 10

Thank You
Have a great day
Joshimae!!

[#10]

I wonder, which change made you left with no option. Because I still see that the spacing and everything is the same on Edge even now, which is very huge. My bookmark folders don't even fit on the bookmark toolbar, I have to click on an arrow on the rightmost to get to some of my bookmark folders. And within a single folder, it takes some amount of scrolling to get to the lower end of the bookmarks. I'm not sure if we are even talking about the same thing here, because that experience is the same, even now.

[#11]

There is a great bookmarks add on at the Chrome store called Neater Bookmarks. Give it a try. I do not use the native bookmarks menu in Edge or any other Chromium based browser.

[#12]

yeah looks like Microsoft is ignoring what users want. I guess I need to search for a browser with a better UI experience for me ! Which used to be edge until they screwed up the addressbar

[#13]

You are a rude person and now ignored.

[#14]

i dont care if you ignore me or not - you need to see what triggered my reply after repeated slander from ilikered and tistou.

[#15]

@sdmarathe 

when 1 or 2% of people want an UI for "visually impaired" people (I have nothing against them), you have to change the screen or adjust the scale of Windows 10
If MS made this UI at the request of feedback "among other things", then MS will not go against 99% of requests 

But you're right, changed your browser ;)

[#16]

Again I will reiterate - that changing System zoom did nothing to increase addressbar. That is my biggest concern. EVERYTHING else looks great - EXCEPT the address bar and the font on address bar :( About your statement about visually impaired, we are talking about people that are older and all of a sudden experiencing user experience issue because of this sudden change without a recourse or remedy. You can not say it is fair to them without giving them the option. Also, those looking for smaller font do have Chrome as an option - those like me have no other option. Hence the frustration. Also you can not expect people to change the screen when it has costs associated with it. Given all other parameters same, you have to believe the change is what caused negative user experience

[#17]

and I find the Edge UI really better than Chrome (and even looks a little bit bigger)

[#18]

it is bigger, more round than Chrome and is much more visually appealing. Hence the baffling change to make the addressbar even smaller than 9 pt (smaller than smallest font I have on browser). It is a terrible user experience change without remedy. Especially for a 45 year old on a 15 inch 1080p monitor with i7 or Xeon - who should not need to invest in additional hardware to KEEP the user experience smooth

[#19]

I am also 45 years old, a 27 inch 1440p and I have no problem ;)
But a 15 inch 1080p is for those who have excellent eyesight (very low pitch)

anyway, this is not the subject of the topic, useless

[#20]

that may be why it is no issue for you since it is 27 inch monitor - i have 15 inch laptop without a monitor and no place to keep on table and dont want to spend on monitor and also I like to stay on laptop vs monitor (mobility factor). use case for people with laptop screen vs monitor is as different as touch or no touch. Those using no external monitor should be treated as using touch devices and it will be good for everyone

[#21]

@sdmarathe 

I have a solution for you!

Set system scaling to 155%.

Then open the system settings and in accessibility see the slider and adjust the text size for yourself correctly and other elements will change too!

it works on all computers with me!