Sep 28, 2021Redesigning PowerToys for Windows 11Last year, I wrote a blog post called “Redesigning PowerToys” that introduced Fluent Design to the open-source PowerToys project. Since then, a lot has changed.. New utilities were introduced, the current ones updated and the overall project has grown a lot. On the UI side, I’ve been busy redesigning and…Windows 114 min readWindows 114 min read
Jun 23, 2020A Fluent color meter for PowerToysAs a UX designer / UWP developer I need to extract colors out of images almost every day. At the moment, this process is pretty cumbersome: taking a screenshot or snip, opening an image editor, pick the color and manually copy the HEX or RGB value. …Fluent Design3 min readFluent Design3 min read
Apr 11, 2020UWP quick tip: custom titlebarUWP applications come with a default title bar that does look pretty.. boring. If you want to create a really nice Fluent Design app you probably want to extend your app’s UI into the titlebar so it looks more modern. Luckily, this is pretty easy to do! In this short tutorial…3 min read3 min read
Feb 7, 2020Redesigning PowerToysBringing Fluent Design to THE Windows tool for power users! I have been using PowerToys for a few months now — it’s one of those tools you never knew you missed once you have used it. …Fluent Design5 min readFluent Design5 min read
Oct 13, 2019Animating UI elements on the same page using ConnectedAnimations in UWPConnectedAnimations have been around for years in the UWP platform. I have used them in the past to elegantly animate elements from one page to another, providing a more seamless and fluent user experience. However, I only recently found out (doh!) that these animations can also be used on elements…Uwp3 min readUwp3 min read
Sep 27, 2019ModernOS — a WCOS experienceModernOS is a UX concept build with UWP. It tries to incorporate as much as possible of what is already leaked before. Start menu The start menu is completely redesigned: lives tiles are gone and the menu now consists out of 3 separate areas: Account information & lock/power buttons. Search bar that…Windows 102 min readWindows 102 min read
Sep 25, 2019Member-onlyProductivity Shells— a WCOS UX conceptProductivity-first experiences infused with AI & powered by the cloud. WCOS + C-Shell For months, rumors about Windows Core OS are floating around the web. A new modular OS that will power new devices and form factors that will enable new experiences. …Microsoft4 min readMicrosoft4 min read
Apr 23, 2019Member-onlyElevate your UI with ThemeShadowWith the release of Windows 10 May Update (a.k.a 1903) the long awaited ThemeShadow API is now available. You can see across the OS that lot’s of controls have now additional shadow by default (e.g. flyouts). If you target the latest SDK in your UWP app default controls will include…Uwp5 min readUwp5 min read
Mar 10, 2019Accessible UWP apps — Chapter 2: voice control & narrator supportThis is the first part of a series of articles that can help you to create more inclusive UWP apps and make you look cool while doing it! In the first part of this series, we enhanced our app with gaze control. This allows user to control their apps with…4 min read4 min read
Feb 18, 2019Accessible UWP apps — Chapter 1: Gaze controlThis is the first part of a series or articles that can help you to create more inclusive UWP apps and make you look cool while doing it! #InclusiveDesign in Windows 10 With version 10, Windows is more accessible than ever. Narrator, high contrast, color filters and Cortana are just examples how the Windows…Windows 106 min readWindows 106 min read
