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#Post#: 81--------------------------------------------------
The new Metro-style Start screen - Problem
DIR By: Lion_Heart
Date: January 29, 2013, 11:28 pm
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Arguably the most controversial pain point of Windows 8 is the
new Start screen, which is Microsoft's new way of starting and
managing apps.
HTML http://www.itworld.com/sites/default/files/Win8-01.jpg
This mobile oriented approach to the future of the desktop
hasn't been greeted with much love by the community or the
press. Focusing on one (maybe two) tasks at a time dumbs down
the entire user experience. Also, users find themselves
constantly switching between the new Start screen and the
classic Windows 7-ish desktop (which includes the taskbar,
desktop, explorer and so forth). Here's an example of how
annoying this is: Say, for example, you're checking on e-mail
using Outlook 2010, which is a traditional desktop application
and one of your contacts is asking for a specific document. The
next obvious step is to launch a file search. The problem is:
once you click on the Start orb or hit the WIN key to launch the
search feature, the classic desktop disappears with a big swoosh
and you're back on the new Start screen pictured above, since
the Start menu search is now only available in the new
Metro-style environment. You find the file, open it and with
another swoosh it throws you back to the desktop. The same
happens when you switch between the built-in Metro apps (such as
Twitter@ama or Socialite) and your classic desktop applications.
In terms of raw productivity, it's a major pain point and a very
noticeable UI break.Many complaints also focused around the fact
that the new UI is aimed at tablets and phones, which makes it
utterly useless on desktops and laptops.
Solution: Unfortunately there is no solution other than to turn
the new Start screen off. After a few days of pure agony and
hatred for the new UI, I took a step back and realized that I'm
basically spending 95% of my work time on the classic UI and
simply can't review this new approach. And why is that? Simple:
Because I'm not using real Metro-style apps day in and day out!
The default apps we get are mere sample applications written by
summer interns (no kidding, Steven Sinofsky actually made a big
deal out of the fact that Metro-style apps are so easy to write
that even summer interns can do it in just a few weeks). So how
could I even start judging a new environment when I just use my
regular applications that throw me back to the traditional
desktop? Do I spend enough time in those sample apps to judge
the Start screen's usability? No! Can I even begin to imagine
what working in a new third-party app (think Nero or Adobe) is
like? Hardly! My solution to the problem is to wait at least
until the beta hits sometime in early 2012 with a working
Windows Store and working apps. I need to download apps, use
them and then judge. I suspect that we'll still struggle with
the mixture of legacy apps and new apps, but I'll reserve my
opinion until then.By the way, to turn the Start screen off and
go back to the Windows 7 way of things, just download "Windows 8
Start Menu Toggle". Right now it's the only solution for Windows
8 testers who hate the Metro UI.
Source :
HTML http://www.itworld.com
HTML http://www.itworld.com
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