Microsoft has made available for download a preliminary draft of the Windows Vista User Experience Guidelines. Delivered as a .PDF file weighing in at some 33.8 MB, the Vista UX Guide is a resource addressed at third-party software developers that are building solutions designed to integrate seamlessly with Microsoft's latest operating system. An integer part of the evolution from Windows XP to Windows Vista went into the redesign of the graphical user interface of the operating system. Windows Aero is in this sense the epitome of the GUI revamping of Vista, an overhaul that has direct implications into the user experience.

And as such, the Windows Vista User Experience Guidelines are offered as a way to ensure "high quality and consistency baseline for all Windows Vista-based applications", in Microsoft's vision. The UX guide for Vista in .PDF format stretches for no less than 763 pages, and it's a work in progress. The Redmond company has already made available versions of the documentation, but this is the first time that a printable variant was delivered, following user feedback. The October release of the Vista UX guide features two new entries compared to the guidelines published in July 2007, namely references dealing with Error Messages and Layout.

Software developers will be able to access the Windows Vista User Experience Guidelines for "information on what's new in Windows Vista, design principles, and guidelines for controls, commands, text, interaction, windows, aesthetics, and the Windows environment. They help designers and developers create high-quality Windows Vista applications with a consistent "look and feel," Microsoft revealed.

The UX Guide provides an in-depth look into the visual index of Windows Vista, as well as a detailed presentation of the novel aspect introduced in the operating system from Aero Aesthetics to User Account control. Microsoft is also offering a total of 12 rules that will ultimately lead to building Vista user interfaces tailor fitted for Windows Vista. You will be able to get your hands on the Windows Vista User Experience Guidelines here.