14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft’s Fluent Design is without a doubt a neat addition to Windows 10 in terms looks and usability, but users have always been expecting more.
And with this new design language gradually being introduced and at a slower pace than Windows 10 adopters expected, it’s no surprise that skilled designers across the world come up with their own ideas on how to improve the desktop and other parts of the operating system. Such an example is the so-called Fluid Shell concept that envisions a less cluttered and more powerful shell.
Created by Michael West, this concept rethinks the taskbar in a way that makes more sense for the modern approach that Microsoft is embracing.
“I couldn’t remove any more icons, the system tray rework had already removed everything possible. So I thought about the actual taskbar—could its shape, size, material be changed? What if it wasn’t constantly attached to the edge of the screen, and instead floated (something inspired by Chrome OS),” the designer explains.
Sets and Cortana improvements
The taskbar is thus split in two and buttons like People are detached from the tray. Furthermore, the Start menu itself no longer extends to the edge of the screen, though the hitbox goes all the way to the corner, which means that even if you click the empty space, the Start menu still launches.
Sets have also been redesigned with grouping capabilities in the taskbar, and Cortana gets a chat-based interface integrated into the Action Center.
“As always, notifications are displayed first, followed by suggestions of things you might want to act upon. They could be calendar events (like shown here), local news, weather alerts, reminders, and even activities based on your nearby devices or location,” the designer explains.
It'll be interesting to see how Windows 10 evolves in the coming years, but Microsoft would really do itself a favor to check out these concepts and use them to improve the operating system.
