Hands-on with Windows 10X’s new Start and taskbar experiences
Source: Microsoft
Microsoft is building out brand new experiences for both the Start menu and taskbar on Windows 10X. The new variations of interfaces we’ve been using for over 20 years at this point give us an interesting look into how Microsoft is adapting Windows for future devices and form factors. With fluidity and minimalism front and center, Windows 10X is all about making the Windows experience simpler, stripping back unnecessary legacy bloat in favor of a streamlined user experience.
Today, we’re taking a closer look at the new Start and taskbar experiences found in the first public preview build of Windows 10X. Now, this is all pre-release content, so it’s likely that these features will have more capabilities and improved interfaces by the time it launches later this year. So keep that in mind.
Everything you need to know about Windows 10X
The new Start menu
Source: Windows Central
The Start menu on Windows 10X combines three core system functions; search, apps, and recent activities. On Windows 10, these functions are split into different areas, so it’s nice to see Microsoft consolidating these on Windows 10X. Along the top is an inconspicuous search bar that allows you to search your apps, files, and the web. In the current public build, this search UI is a little barebone, but I understand that this isn’t the final design, and a more feature-complete search UI is on the way.
Source: Windows Central
Users can drag icons to re-arrange apps in the apps list.
Below the search bar is your list of apps. This is a customizable list, similar to a smartphone home screen, in that you can reorganize the icons to your heart’s content by clicking and dragging. The default view is three rows of five icons, and if you want to see more, you can press the “show all” button in the top right. Right now, Start menu customization is very barebones, but I understand that features like app folders and notification badges are on the way.
Interestingly, the Start menu makes mention of websites in addition to apps. The integration isn’t fully baked just yet, but in the final product, Windows 10X will treat web apps as if they were native Windows apps. Users will be able to install websites as apps, and they’ll show up in the Start menu and taskbar as if they were a regular app.
Source: Windows Central
The new taskbar
Source: Windows Central
I’ve seen some people show dislike towards this design, as it means the Start and Task View buttons are continually shifting. I see why some might consider this a problem, but in practice, it really isn’t. Visually, you can always see where the Start and Task View buttons are, as they are distinctly at either end of your pinned and running apps.
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Still, if users can’t handle this design, I believe there will be configurable options in the Settings app to change this behavior. If you prefer the old-school taskbar with its left-aligning design, you can re-enable that if you want. You will also be able to change the size of the taskbar with three options; small, medium, and large.
Source: Windows Central
The system tray has changed, for the better.
The tray icons that do appear on the taskbar won’t be from apps minimizing to the system tray. Apps that are designed to minimize to the system tray won’t show up there anymore. The only tray icons you’ll see on the taskbar are status icons such as battery status, internet connectivity, a notification icon, as well as miscellaneous system notifications. I really like this change, as I’ve always found the old system tray to be noisy and unnecessary. I don’t want apps minimizing to the system tray, and now they won’t on Windows 10X.
I mentioned above that the new taskbar experience is more fluid, and that’s thanks to several subtle animations included with this new design. For example, when you minimize an app, the icon on the taskbar will bounce a little to match the minimize animation, which makes the whole experience feel a bit more connected.
Source: Windows Central
Also new with the Windows 10X taskbar is a visual separator that divides your pinned apps from your running apps. For example, in our screenshot above, we have Edge, File Explorer, and Mail pinned, with the other apps being running apps that aren’t pinned to the taskbar. This is a small change, but one I think really helps with organizing the taskbar. Your pinned icons are always on the left.
What do you think?
So that’s a closer look at the new Start menu and taskbar experience on Windows 10X. Of course, this is pre-release code, and therefore is not representative of the final product. These features will likely be enhanced and improved with new additions before launch. For now, what are your thoughts on this early look at the fresh new Start and taskbar interfaces? Let us know in the comments.