Microsoft’s attempts at Fluent over the years are a striking example of why engineering and design need to work hand-in-hand.
On Windows, concepts like acrylic and mica are nice, but are terrible for performance over Remote Desktop, RDP being a core strength and differentiator of Windows (especially with the push to sell cloud-based subscriptions and thin clients).
The other thing that drove me nuts is lack of care for low-res (aka full HD) displays, where rounding and thin borders leads to visible artifacts in common controls. A designer who uses high-end mac devices will never see these things. UI/UC Design isn’t meant for museums, it needs to be built in dialog with the real world application.
On Windows, concepts like acrylic and mica are nice, but are terrible for performance over Remote Desktop, RDP being a core strength and differentiator of Windows (especially with the push to sell cloud-based subscriptions and thin clients).
The other thing that drove me nuts is lack of care for low-res (aka full HD) displays, where rounding and thin borders leads to visible artifacts in common controls. A designer who uses high-end mac devices will never see these things. UI/UC Design isn’t meant for museums, it needs to be built in dialog with the real world application.