Concept imagines what an improved Start menu could look like

Feb 3, 2017 08:50 GMT  ·  By

A concept envisions what the Windows 10 Start menu could look like when Microsoft rolls out the Project NEON set of visual improvements scheduled for Redstone 3 OS update.

Project NEON is one of the essential visual makeovers planned for Windows 10, and according to people close to the matter, it would be specifically focused on new transition effects, animations, and transparency/blur effects for running apps on the desktop.

This concept published on DeviantArt by lukeled envisions some of these improvements implemented into the Start menu, which itself could get a touch of blur with the release of Windows 10 Redstone 3 in the fall.

As you can see by zooming in the photo included in this article, the concept imagines a transparency effect for live tiles, just like the background of the Start menu itself. This seems to create more cohesion in the Start menu altogether, even though the transparency level is so subtle.

New live tiles

The concept also envisions a new size for live tiles, namely 1x3, as well as full transparency for the Weather tile. And last but not least, the Edge tile has been updated to display a website currently running in the browser, while the Start menu comes with two new icons in the hamburger menu, namely full-screen and Task Manager.

Of course, remember that this is just a concept for the time being, but it’s very clear that users and concept designers alike are very excited to see Microsoft focusing on visual improvements for Windows 10. The blur and transparency effects were part of the Aero Glass pack available back in Windows 7, and many users who upgrade to Windows 10 actually miss them a lot on the desktop.

For the moment, the Redstone 3 update due in the fall seems to be the target for all these visual improvements, but since it’s all an internal project, everything can change overnight.