"Metro", a new human in the visual language of mobile devices

What is "Metro"? "Metro" meant "Subway". Taking a look at airports, subways, bus routes and so on, it will be found that these visual design are highly generalized, strong contrast and so on, and are used to guide people to find their destination faster.

Interface design language for a mobile device how can you hook up with the subway? Behind every reform and innovation, there is a leading thought. Microsoft's launch of Windows Phone 7 (hereinafter referred to as WP7) behind also a design language, design ideas, this design language is derived from the Traffic guide view of these features and inspiration! Within Microsoft, the design language is named Metro.

"Metro"

1. Icon

WP7 the entire interface shows the "icon" completely with the rounded corners, gradient, shadow, gloss "say good-bye, with pure two-dimensional and high generalization to weaken the visual complexity, so that users do not pay much attention to the icon itself, but to increase its identification and identity, to enhance the content and information purposes."

2. Interface layout

Instead of being neatly arranged like nine Sudoku, the home page makes bold segmentation of the interface with a single color block. Other interfaces also remove those cumbersome redundancy of the design details, not too much gorgeous color, no fancy light and shade, emphasizing the use of text information for typesetting, more attention to the content itself, more concerned about what users want, with a sharp straightforward visual language to express the real content.

3. Font

The font is the "Metro" to show the beauty of its design is a focus, it mainly uses a finer segoe UI font, by enlarging and narrowing the font to get good results and design sense. There is no complex interface in "Metro" that needs to be manipulated to divert attention from the user, instead of focusing on the user's own content, in short: content is the interface! This greatly reduces the user's visual interference, enhanced guidance, so that the original "crowded" of the various content and information interface appears more "breathable."

In an era filled with various gradients and effects, WP7 can so boldly put aside the shackles of the traditional visual design language, at any cost to improve the visual clarity and identification, the pursuit of simplicity to play to the extreme.

Undeniably, "Metro" in the visual design does have its unique, and in fact, its "new" is the concept, the concept of innovative design in some areas have some advantages, specific embodiment of the following aspects:

1. The complete embodiment of information

Traditional cell phone terminals have been creator wrapped more and more tightly, and your life and needs are not a separate app covered, but shuttle in different types of information. Whether there is new information, phone or new status updates, you can scan a glance, this emphasis on similar SNS information flow design allows users to better return to experience the essential function of the mobile phone.

WP7 in the concept of this originated from the information and content of the idea, "Metro" is to eliminate the concept of asymmetry, when the core value of this concept in the pragmatism and content first, all visual language is not so important.

2. Panorama

Panorama design using a similar scroll screen design, abandoned the traditional scroll bar, so that the content interface can be scrolled, that is, let users avoid a layer of the operation of the window and a breath to browse the information in the end.

3. Content first

WP7 is not unconventional, but from the user's demand for information. He brought the principle of minimalism, content supremacy to the visual design of mobile terminal equipment, but it has opened up a more emphasis on practical design direction.

"Metro" is new and visually cool, but does it really fit into the current mobile terminal? We have to have some doubts and concerns about it:

1. Over-reliance on a font

The Latin alphabet is very much in line with the Metro design concept, will be concise and crisp play to incisively and vividly. This is like a double-edged sword, resulting in the "Metro" too dependent on the Latin alphabet itself to bring the charm of the neglect of such as Chinese, Japanese and other non-Latin.

Can these languages continue to visually extend the charm of this font, guided by the design philosophy of Metro? At least we haven't seen convincing evidence so far.

2. The monotony of vision

Pure 2-dimensional icons have a very high indicator, but lack a certain richness.

In the visual language of "Metro", the icon is stripped of its original personality and emotion and transformed into a sign without life. It's like you can't expect the traffic signs to bring you surprises and fun, just cold, blunt instructions. This is a pity for the third developer.

3. User habits and recognition

In the iphone,android system rampant in the city today, it is possible that users have been accustomed to the way the operation of the interface, and WP7 a variety of operations are significantly different from the market other systems, so need a certain process and cultivate time costs to allow users to accept. As early as a few years ago, when Siemens launched Xelibri from the design concept is also new, cool and hit, but the user acceptance level is not satisfactory, the final dismal end. Therefore, Microsoft's vision and experience to make such a big change, not only need to test the patience of users, but also to test Microsoft's perseverance and determination.

In fact, "Metro" the design language in the previous Zune has more or less the embodiment of the vertical large text navigation system, plus a flat color block, at a glance. After the launch of the WP7, "Metro" The design language began to be formally widely systematized application and promotion, with the design philosophy and ideas compiled by the Metro book, with its concise layout and bright colors on the "metro" the characteristics of the design language of the best interpretation.

The app Hub, which evolved from XNA Creator Club Online, also hosts Metro's design philosophy.

"Metro" as a new design language appears in the mobile terminal, more like a continuation of the phenomenon, remember once read an article creative Review "the new Ugly." We are not here to worship ugliness, but this trend in recent years has been constantly affecting the entire design sector, including the London 2012 Olympic logo, Wacom new logo, New York taxi signs have become the focus of traditional aesthetic controversy.

Both in the interface and the experience, there needs to be a differentiated core value, when the core value of this experience is expressed in the content, there is no right or wrong, progress or retreat, the so-called visual time in the content, does not mean that the status of visual design is weakened, on the contrary, the need for designers to refine the "design."

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