Suggestion on Resolving the Desktop/Mouse Issue

Posted by Fowler on March 4, 2012 01:27 am 6

If there has been one issue nagging at the otherwise positive coverage its been the desktop (and the mouse). There are a lot of users (particularly power users) who are upset because Windows 8 seems to have abandon them. I'd argue that Microsoft has gone to great pains to include feature firmly aimed at power users (and further fragmenting the UI). However you may fall on this debate one thing I think is clear, the Windows 8 desktop needs work. What also needs work is mouse control. From what I''ve seen and read, using a mouse on Windows 8 is more for the benefit of power users than the people walking into a Best Buy. Particularly troublesome (to me) are the hot keys they seem an inelegant and overly complicated set of steps. Now this doesn't mean that I hate Windows 8 or Metro on a desktop/laptop its just I think Microsoft should and could do better with introducing mouse controls and designing the desktop.

My hope is that Microsoft does a couple of things to tweak the User experience before we get the final release. Now what I'm suggesting will probably not make power users and people who want a traditional desktop any happier; my suggestion is based on what I know about Windows 8 and the need to not break the overall experience. First, despite what the guy at the Barcelona event said, Windows needs gesture support. If you're going to add touch gestures and a touch first designed UI to an OS meant to also run on a laptop, than we need software that also us to use those gestures on a track pad. Microsoft already has a product in their Multi-touch mouse that does it, so they should go with it. Second, I wish they bring back the start orb if for nothing else to quiet folks down. Better yet , they should use the Charms bar as the new Start screen. Windows 8's Edge UI crosses both the Metro and Desktop interface; so stick an orb or the word start and when a user clicks it the Charms Bar pops up and there's a place to access the start screen we always used. Lastly, two things; first Microsoft should have a button that boots the system to desktop and second, they need to either find a way to merge Aero and Metro or adopt something that's Metro but appropriate for the desktop.

So those are my two cents.