Windows Phone 9 Concept

This is a concept user interface for Microsoft Windows Phone.  I have retained the “Phone” in the title because Microsoft’s plan to brand the software of their phones, tablets and PCs as Windows might end up causing the same confusion that they are trying to correct. 

This concept is an evolution of a previous concept started in 2010. Screenshots of Version 1 can be found on Twitter and on Nokia Ideas Project. Version 2 can be found here. This version, 4.6, represents what I believe to be the way forward for Microsoft’s One Windows strategy. From all indications, the One Windows plan is meant to harmonise the code base between the various types of Windows OS. However, I reckon that harmonisation of the code base represents only one side of the coin. The user interface (UI) must also be harmonized. While there is some similarity on the Metro Modern side of things, the traditional desktop side creates a chasm. This concept is an attempt to create a consistent and uniform user interface across all form factors whilst avoiding the dichotomy between Modern UI and the desktop.

If Microsoft adopts this they will have the distinction of being the only OEM:

-        - with a symmetry of user interfaces across all devices. In other words, you can transition from a Windows Phone to a PC with no learning curve required. Currently, no OEM can claim this.

-        - The only OEM with an OS in which EVERY feature is accessible in less than three taps/clicks.

 

This is a work in progress; more screenshots will be added soon.

Start Screen

System Apps

Task Manager

Notifications

Power Options

Full size images can be downloaded/viewed at:

1. Google Drive

Update: 01 October 2014

The next version of Windows wasn’t christened Windows 9 like we expected; Microsoft skipped a number and jumped to Windows 10. The reason for this remains a mystery. They say Windows 10 will be available across several form factors with a user interface that adjusts accordingly. While this sounds elegant (and indeed it is), what it truly is an official sanction of what the situation is today. The UI of the Xbox One is different from that of Windows Phone and they are both different from that of Windows PCs. The same applies to Apple’s OS X and iOS as well as Google’s ChromeOS and Android. In essence, they really haven’t moved the game forward. A similar sentiment was shared in a TechRadar article in which the author, Juan Martinez ,says they might be better off calling it Windows 7.5.

From what was previewed yesterday, depending on the form factor, certain features/functions of the OS will have different locations and different/distinct methods of access. This strategy is going to cause a fragmented user experience; a jarring effect/paradigm shift. 

More on the story as it develops…


Update: 11 November 2014, 06:00 WAT
1. System Apps have been renamed Primary Apps.
1b. Notes Icon in Primary Apps has been changed.
2. Toggles Functionality Illustrated.
3. Cellular Network Options Illustrated.
4. Feed Notifications Illustrated.
5. Task Manager tweaked.
6. Power Options tweaked.

Primary Apps

Quick Toggles

Cellular Network Options