Microsoft reveals its rejected Start menu redesigns

Microsoft is redesigning the Start menu successful Windows 11 this period with a new, wider plan that yet lets you disable the recommended provender of files and apps. While the caller Start paper looks antithetic to what exists successful Windows 11 today, this plan refresh could person looked a batch antithetic arsenic Microsoft has present revealed successful conception images.

In a blog post detailing the process of redesigning the Start menu, Microsoft has revealed 5 conception designs that could person radically overhauled however the paper works successful Windows. One includes an adjacent much rounded paper with widget-like functionality, and a abstracted For You conception that lists Teams meetings, YouTube videos, and precocious utilized files.

Another conception has the For You conception separated astatine the side, with the main paper focused connected categories of apps, and different prototype imagines a landing leafage arsenic the Start menu, implicit with shortcuts, apps, files, and abstracted sections to entree your Android phone, personalized app lists, and instauration tools. There’s adjacent a commencement paper conception that appears to instrumentality up the full vertical abstraction of a screen, implicit with separated sections that you look to scroll vertically to access.

“Whiteboards, Figma frames, floor-to-ceiling insubstantial prototypes—nothing was excessively scrappy,” says the Windows plan team. “We sketched retired a plethora of layouts, letting ourselves spell chaotic and observe caller things earlier applying the editorial pen.”

Microsoft tested its assorted Start paper designs with much than 300 Windows 11 fans and adjacent co-creation calls with prime fans. “We watched eye-tracking vigor maps swirl, counted scroll wheels, and listened for ’oh!‘s of delight to cognize wherever we were hitting the mark,” says the plan team.

The absorption of the caller Start paper has been connected being capable to easy spot your apps, customizability, speed, and not overhauling it excessively overmuch to “respect 3 decades of musculus memory.” The effect is simply a caller Start paper that’s bigger and much customizable than what exists today. Being capable to region the recommended provender volition beryllium a invited summation for many, and the telephone companion sheet looks similar it’s afloat built into the Start paper to supply speedy entree to caller calls, messages, and telephone files.

Microsoft is investigating this caller Start paper with Windows Insiders implicit the coming month, truthful expect to spot it amusement up for each Windows 11 users successful the coming months.