14 DAY TRIAL // While work on Windows 10 19H1 progresses slowly, the first builds available for insiders in the Fast ring provide us with an early glimpse into its feature lineup, so we already know part of the feature lineup coming to users next year.
Although Cortana is far from becoming an essential Windows 10 feature, the increased enterprise focus keeps the digital assistant always updated, so the next OS update would bring several both big and small refinements.
For instance, the most recent preview build shipped to insiders comes with an overhauled interface that aligns all the information that Cortana displays, including here suggestions, recommendations, and activities, right in the center of the screen. Previously, all of them were aligned to the left of the UI.
Furthermore, the Fluent Design system is expanding to more parts of Cortana, so the UI would include acrylic in the top bar, as you can see in the screenshots here. The improved interface can be observed when searching the web with Cortana.
Start menu-like approach
What’s more, Microsoft apparently wants to align the Cortana and Start menu behavior in a way that makes more sense in terms of usability.
Not a long time ago, Microsoft experimented with a new Start menu design that allowed users to expand sections in the left sidebar automatically with a simple mouse hover. While this idea hasn’t been implemented in Windows 10 version 1809, it looks like Microsoft hasn’t given up on it, and there’s a chance it could make it to the market next year alongside similar improvements for Cortana.
In the latest preview build, it’s possible to expand Cortana sections grouped in the left sidebar by just moving the mouse cursor over them.
Certainly, there’s more to come in terms of smaller refinements like these in Windows 10 19H1, and expect additional improvements to be part of the next preview builds shipping to insiders.
Via WBI