Windows 7 Taskforce

Thunderbuck wrote on February 28, 2009, 12:44am

Hmm. Your mockup's nice, but the concept's a step backward, imo. If anything, this visually integrates it with the bar and actually REDUCES differentiation, making it look like "just another button".

Personally, I have no problem with the Orb, though I suspect they'll fiddle with it more before final release.

Jaips wrote on February 28, 2009, 12:58am

Thanks thunderbuck

Maybe i'm just biased but i think it is 'correct' for the start button to look intergrated with the taskbar - they are complementary UI elements.

The XP start button was in-line and "intergrated" with the taskbar
The Vista start orb (and current w7 orb) has a beveled edge so that it looks fixed into the taskbar

Also I thought the bevel between the button and the taskbar area gave enough visual seperation. What do you suggest would be stronger?

Thunderbuck wrote on February 28, 2009, 1:15am

Make the button a couple of px taller than the button bar, maybe?

This gets tricky; I think the designers deliberately made the bar larger this time because of some of the changed functionality. More notifications are being relayed through the buttons, for instance, and larger buttons make this more prominent. The trouble is, making the "Start" button larger here makes an already-large button even larger.

Personally, I prefer the "smaller" view, anyway, and the Orb is considerably more prominent there, since it protrudes above the bar.

Everything else aside, it appears that the Orb is the central visual element of Microsoft's branding of Windows. The hardest part of getting this change through would be to convince marketing to let go of a visual element that they've put considerable money and effort into burning into the collective users' consciousness.

Again, it's a nice try, and I'm not voting down, but I don't think this accomplishes what you're looking for, either.

Jaips wrote on February 28, 2009, 1:29am

"the Orb is the central visual element of Microsoft's branding of Windows...they've put considerable money and effort into burning into the collective users' consciousness"

Great point.
Yea i think the Orb works great with the smaller height taskbar - and i guess with a square scalability becomes an issue (how does the button resize). I tried a bigger orb just it just didn't look right. Still i'd love to see this area re-thought i'm sure there is a more ideal middle ground to be found.

Anyway I appreciate your critism :)

.Chris wrote on February 28, 2009, 2:57am

The idea is great,, but I like the orb. It seems though they are going away from it in office and windows live. Don't know why, as I always vision all microsoft products having an orb with the corresponding icon and color.

I'm having a felling people may think they can move the "orb" around and/or get confused from other taskbar buttons.

This idea is nutural, and I wish there were such a vote.

(I'm not voting this up or down. Keeping it in the middle)

.Chris wrote on February 28, 2009, 3:04am

EDIT:


I think an idea will be no background and just the flag. Perhaps just a white flag? no color?

billerr wrote on February 28, 2009, 1:53pm

I like this idea a lot. I think it looks fixed to the taskbar, more than the current implementation, and the bevel makes it look like it's a control point of the system, not another button. However I can see tha scalability problems when the taskbar is smaller. +1 anyway, for some redisigning, the orb in its current implementation is just another any other button pinned to the taskbar.

Jaips wrote on March 1, 2009, 4:09am

wow people really hate this idea.
i'd love to know why people were voting down... i find the critism really healthy.

luskaner wrote on March 2, 2009, 5:05pm

+1
I think people vote down because they don't like the orb in the image, but it's JUST a suggestion not what it has to look like, vote up for making it more distinct than other superbar icons

.Chris wrote on March 2, 2009, 7:07pm

Though its not an icon, its mart of a menu and should be kept sepreate . you guys need to understand that

Arayta wrote on March 2, 2009, 7:14pm

The reason I voted down is because the icon does not need to stick out. It is supposed to be there when you need it, and then sink into the background when you don't. Currently this is done by making the orb glow when it is active.

Besides, an orb is more visually pleasing than a box. It's curvy and inviting, and has a roundness to it.

.Chris wrote on March 3, 2009, 11:48pm

Yes.

people, enough rubbish posting/

bananaphone wrote on March 6, 2009, 3:09pm

I see what the OP is getting at. In XP, the start button looked nothing at all like the task buttons. It was a distinct non-task control. In 7 beta it looks like just another task button. But I don't see an easy way to make it stand out more and be visually appealing. No vote up or down from me.

.Chris wrote on March 6, 2009, 3:59pm

it needs to be seprate. simple as that. it doesnt need to blend in with the other