Albert Shum describes how Microsoft is moving moving mobile design forward with Metro Design Language.
The user experience around Windows Phone 7 stands to move mobile design forward based on traditional principles of modern design from transportation graphics.
“I think we’re at the forefront of something new, something more immersive,” said Albert Shum, Windows Phone Design Studio GM on their attitude towards designing Windows Phone 7.
Shum described Windows Phone 7 as an opportunity to move design forward from the old by standards of just polished icons, “It was really about the future. That’s the opportunity we have today.”
His team collaborated across Microsoft to bring all the best elements together from Xbox, Zune, Office, Internet Explorer and even Windows Messenger.
“It speaks to how design needs to work these days,” said Shum on his team being collaborative and open.
Metro Design Language is based on signs from the metro rapid transit system.
The new UI design, called Metro, was a fresh approach from Windows Mobile platform and was aimed at a consumer market.
Metro design language was used for the for the user interface in Windows Phone 7 as it was grounded in good graphic design, strong use of typography, and bold graphics from the metro rapid transit system.
As well, the designs of the metro rapid transit system from King County, Washington, which Metro is based on, were timeless and placed a large emphasis on typography.
Shum said timelessness is something you want in your UX design.
Windows Phone 7 is aimed at connecting back to the consumer market. “There was a fresh energy and fresh approach to ‘how do we reconnect the consumers?’ But not just reconnect but also move it forward.”
Shum’s design team also, took time to review the past and where they wanted to go with the user interface and incorporate design inspiration to ground themselves.
“The job at UX is no more than what we all aspire to do. Let’s make it look great but also work well. You also want to make it delightful.”
The team worked on a UX design that would applicable across other Microsoft experiences.
The the design will also be used across Microsoft, “That’s what you want from a good UX design, that is a system that is applicable across other experiences.”
The design team also worked on making sure teams understood the design principles and goals upfront so that discussions could be formed around them. “You don’t want to argue about is it 12pt or is 13pt font. You want to argue about principles.”
Metro Design Language Principles:
- Clean, Light, Open, Fast
- Celebrate Typography
- Alive in Motion
- Content, Not Chrome
- Authentically Digital
