14 DAY TRIAL // The Start button is back in Windows 8.1, but not in the way you knew it. Instead of launching a Start Menu, the new button actually gets users to the Start Screen, which Microsoft says is the best modern replacement for a very familiar built-in Windows options.
In case you’re wondering how Microsoft actually came down to this type of a Start button, the answer is pretty simple.
A member of the Windows 8.1 development team said in an AMA session on Reddit that Microsoft has actually tested multiple designs before coming down to the one you’re seeing today in Windows 8.1
“As part of the UX team, you can imagine we had a lot of conversations about the Start button and we examined multiple designs, ran dozens of user studies, and all of us held pretty passionate opinions that covered a range of design beliefs,” Jason Beaumont of Microsoft said.
“In the end, the reality is that there are times when just listening to your customers provides a great path forward. For 8.1, we worked to enrich the Start screen while bringing back the flexibility for Windows users to easily transition between the Start screen and the desktop.”
Microsoft claims that this new Start button is actually proof that it’s listening to consumer feedback, as everybody wanted the operating system to look a bit more familiar.
Users, on the other hand, aren’t really satisfied with it, so it’s no surprise that many turn to third-party Start Menus. Here’s what Mark Beare, the CEO and co-founder of ReviverSoft, the company behind Start Menu Reviver, told us in a recent interview:
“I think that it is a good move by Microsoft. They really need something on the desktop to tell users where to go to access the menu. That being said, it still just takes people to the Start Screen. The Start Screen on Mouse and Keyboard is a less efficient way to navigate around Windows than a Start Menu that opens on the desktop.”