I saw this image from a recent Microsoft Design blog post and it was inspiring to see the evolution of Metro UI in Windows 10 to Fluent Design in Windows 11.
I personally am a huge fan of Metro UI ever since Zune in 2006. I'm fascinated by how it took some core design principles like "content before chrome" when digital user interfaces were bombarded with too many dropshadows, too much glossiness, and an abundance of pizazz. For example while Apple (and particularly iOS) used a more skeuomorphic design, Metro was digitally authentic. It relied on typography, motion, and minimalist icons to convey what it was trying to say quickly, and it was tremendously effective and there was beauty in its intuitive simplicity.
VS.
However, Metro had its shortcomings. I feel Fluent Design is a worthy successor to Metro. Fluent adds more dimension to all the flatness with light, depth, motion, material, and scale. It elevates the design to feel premium while not losing sight of what made Metro special. An apt evolution of design.
I personally am a huge fan of Metro UI ever since Zune in 2006. I'm fascinated by how it took some core design principles like "content before chrome" when digital user interfaces were bombarded with too many dropshadows, too much glossiness, and an abundance of pizazz. For example while Apple (and particularly iOS) used a more skeuomorphic design, Metro was digitally authentic. It relied on typography, motion, and minimalist icons to convey what it was trying to say quickly, and it was tremendously effective and there was beauty in its intuitive simplicity.
VS.
However, Metro had its shortcomings. I feel Fluent Design is a worthy successor to Metro. Fluent adds more dimension to all the flatness with light, depth, motion, material, and scale. It elevates the design to feel premium while not losing sight of what made Metro special. An apt evolution of design.
My Computers
System One System Two
-
- OS
- Windows 10 Pro
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- CPU
- Intel Core i7-4790K Haswell Quad-Core 4.0GHz LGA 1150
- Motherboard
- ASUS Z97-A LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX
- Memory
- 16 GB: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB)
- Graphics Card(s)
- ASUS GeForce GTX 1660 (6GB)
- Sound Card
- NVIDIA High Definition Audio
- Monitor(s) Displays
- ASUS VG248QE Black 24" 144Hz 1ms (GTG), ASUS VE278H 27", and 23" Dell UltraSharp U2311H
- Screen Resolution
- 1920 x 1080 for all
- Hard Drives
- HP EX920 M.2 1TB (OS + apps + high performance files), WD Blue 3D NAND SSD 1TB (video editing + games), WD Blue 1 TB HDD: 3.5 Inch, 7200 RPM (rest of personal files), two WD My Book 3 TB drives (backup + games) and two 8TB Seagate Backup + Hub archive drives.
- PSU
- Antec HCG M Series HCG-620M 620W ATX12V
- Case
- AZZA Solano 1000 Black Japanese SECC Steel/Metal mesh in front MicroATX/ATX/Full ATX
- Cooling
- 5 fans + Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120 mm PWM Fan Heat Sink for CPU
- Keyboard
- WASD V3 Custom Mechanical Keyboard
- Mouse
- Logitech M720 Triathlon Mouse
- Internet Speed
- 1,000 Mbps download, 25 Mbps upload
- Browser
- Mozilla Firefox
- Antivirus
- MalwareBytes
- Other Info
- View full equipment here: http://davidvkimball.com/pc
-
- Operating System
- Windows 11 Pro
- Computer type
- Tablet
- Manufacturer/Model
- Microsoft Surface Pro 3
- CPU
- Intel Core i5
- Memory
- 4GB
- Monitor(s) Displays
- 10.8” ClearType Full HD Plus Display
- Screen Resolution
- 1920 x 1280
- Hard Drives
- 128GB SSD
- Browser
- Firefox
- Antivirus
- MalwareBytes
- Other Info
- Originally shipped with Windows 8.1 Pro in 2014, upgraded to 10, and now Windows 11.