Microsoft is planning an “extensive visual rejuvenation of Windows” designed to alert users of the operating system that “Windows is BACK.” This is according to a worklist recently published by Microsoft, which advertises for a software engineering role in the Windows Core User Experiences team:
‘In this team you work with our key platform, Surface and OEM partners, to orchestrate a comprehensive visual rejuvenation of Windows experiences and to show our customers that Windows is BACK and to ensure that Windows is the best user -OS experience is considered. for customers. ”
This morning, after several Windows enthusiasts, Microsoft quietly removed references to this “extensive visual rejuvenation” spotted the mailing list over the weekend. While Microsoft has been promising visual overhaul of Windows 10 for years, thanks to the Fluent Design system, there are rumors that the company is planning major changes to the user interface for Windows that will launch later this year.
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Codenamed Sun Valley, Windows Central first reported on these UI changes in October. Microsoft plans to revamp the Start menu, File Explorer and built-in programs in Windows 10 to modernize it and make the UI more consistent. Some of the UI changes will also include updates to the slides, buttons, and controls found throughout Windows and the programs running on the operating system.
Microsoft is also working to improve its tablet mode experience, especially how devices such as the company’s Surface line alternate between using mouse / trackpad and and touch-based interactions.
Microsoft has been working for the past year to improve its UI consistency in Windows, and much of it will be found in Windows 10X. The company also rolled out new Windows 10 icons almost a year ago, followed by some minor tweaks to the Start menu a few months later.
All of this work comes because Microsoft has shown renewed interest in Windows. Surface chief Panos Panay took over the additional role of taking care of Windows in October, after teasing some additional Windows 10 user interface changes earlier last year. After a boost in Windows usage due to the pandemic, it feels like Microsoft is more ready than ever to give its operating system the UI polish it has been promising for years.