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]

Yeah, it's been like that for a month now in canary.

[#3]

@Elliot Kirk  I like Edge, however I want the team to consider a way so that we can increase the font size in the Favorites Bar and on Tabs. If that would somehow be allowed to happen, I would more than likely use Edge 100% of the time ! 

[#4]

@Elliot Kirk 

Lots of buckets for visual aspects of Edge, but nothing about how to make it easier to use.  I just don't understand why ease of use is not the number 1 bucket.  I'm all for visual appeal, but I would prefer ease of use then visually appealing. Why not make an effort to integrate the Microsoft Browser into the family of Microsoft Office products?  Why not at least make the standard file menu bar an option.  I look at the Menu of the very program I am writing this on.  It has a menu bar very similar to the standard menu bar, but not as effective.  Who decided the standard menu bar was no longer needed?  It is Microsoft's intent to remove it from Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Publisher, Outlook, etc.?  I sure hope not--but why not, let's have a different menu system for every Microsoft Program.  Then maybe we can all go back to using Corel office.  Hey is it possible that Microsoft is now being led by a Corel mole?

[#5]

Well You Just made the Address Bar UI smaller Like google chrome.. And now its not easier to read on bigger screens!!
Here are the comparisons,
The Normal Stable Edge address bar

And My canary version  

I think it's better to add a slider to set it to a level comfortable for your eyes

[#6]

@ShashankDahat 

Yeah, I new something changed but didn't pay attention, after reading your comment i checked and it's indeed smaller! the address bar is the same size but the text is smaller.

hope it's temporary...

[#7]

Yeah I also Hope they will revert It.... Its Not readable On My 1920x1080 Screen !! I really wish they make a slider for it....

[#8]

I only took notice recently as my eye is getting discomfort from the address bar. I knew something have change but I not sure where until I checked it with stable.

[#9]

This is the definition of TIHI - thanks, I hate it.
I have a 15" 1080p laptop with a 27" 1440p monitor, BOTH on 125% scaling in Windows 10, and even with all of this, the readability difference is huge compared to the previous Dev build.

I'm PRAYING for this to be reverted.

[#10]

Hi guys.

I think edge is a good browser, but the one thing that annoys me the UI size.

It has two main problems.

1 - It is inconsistent with rest of windows e.g. text is centred in titlebar instead of left aligned, and if I shrink windows borders edge border does not honour setting.
2 - The UI is too big, it seems designed for 4k monitors and/or touch screens. If Microsoft really loathe the idea of shrinking it then please add a slider for us to adjust ourselves, it is literally huge. Also massive space wastage between each extension icon, not sure why they so far apart.

[#11]

I agree that the UI is too big and that there should be an option/compact mode.

[#12]

I completely hate the look and feel of Microsoft Edge. What is the point of establishing a design language if you're not going to use it. No acrylic blur, no smooth animation, outdated look of context manu, no transition effects, no reveal effect, just nothing. Are we really in 2021? Look and feel of Edge is basically like Chrome with changed icons, that's it. It seems like the browser team is not at all in sync with the team who is responsible for deciding the overall design language of Windows 10. On one side they're creating winui 3, on the other side we get software like Microsoft Edge. I wonder why you guys can't be consistent.

[#13]

Instead of using a native Windows UI, Edge uses the standard Chromium UI. It will never look 'right'.

[#14]

@yoSachin 

Well A Point To Be Noted That Before Edge Used Then Chromium Engine And It's UI (The Legacy Edge Browser Which Used Chakra JavaScript Engine ) , It Had Some Transitions, But after it switched to the The Chromium It Lost All Of It's UI..

Also The Edge Isn't JUst A Copy Of Google Chrome With Changed Icons Because It's

• Faster 
• Has More Features Like Startup boost
• Has A More fluent menu
• Uses Less RAM +Sleeping Tabs Which When Active Uses Only about 100-140MBs Of RAM

Thank You 

Have A Great Day 

[#15]

Obviously Edge has many features under the hood, but I thought this thread is all about UI and hence I commented accordingly.

[#16]

I have a 15 inch laptop screen and the smaller text in the new insider builds makes it much harder to see it, and I think there should be some kind of slider to change the size of all the UI elements in general, like the text size, buttons, tabs, context menus, all of that.

Something like Vivaldi's customization options would be great

[#17]

@yoSachin 

Yes Sir I Totally Agree With Your Point But Still i Think That Edge Looks Different From Google Chrome !!

[#18]

Yes They Should Add A Slider For Changing The size of the UI Like Windows Has.. In My Computer It is set to 125%

Thank You
Have A Great Day Ahead!

[#19]

Yes I would agree, I hope they keep the address bar text large, as a visually impaired user I find the interface much easier to use than Chrome.

[#20]

I don't like the smaller address bar text. why everyone is so obsessed with making edge similar to chrome. Chrome is Chrome, Edge is Edge. Also, smaller address bar doesn't match with the rest of the browser.

[#21]

I think the text size on the address bar is too small. I can see how it looks better visually, but have trouble reading it. It was easier to read before. Maybe a toggle / slider for text scaling?