Microsoft: Windows 11 design won’t hamper performance

Microsoft rejected the idea that design elements should debut with Windows 11 could have an adverse effect on performance.

In a Q&A session for developers, the company presented its vision for Fluent Design, a framework applied by Microsoft internally and used by developers to create applications that appear to have been designed natively for Windows.

Microsoft also shared information about new “design material” called Mica, hosted under Fluent Design, which aligns the background color of certain applications (for example Edge, Teams, Settings) with the desktop and creates a “color hierarchy” that distinguishes multiple open instances of the same application.

In Windows 11, Mica will be applied in a range of scenarios, but Microsoft insists that introducing greater intelligence to design elements won’t come at the cost of performance.

“Performance is really a top priority for us and we want to make sure that all of these new features (Mica and rounded corners) are super fast and don’t impact the operating system,” the firm explained.

“For example, mica has been specially designed for superior performance compared to elements like acrylic (editor’s note: another design material). And for rounded corners, we’ve optimized our rendering performance so that you won’t notice any difference compared to square corners.

Windows 11 design

Microsoft also took the opportunity to crush rumors that certain Windows 11 design components (like the new Start menu and rounded corners) were inspired by Apple’s macOS.

“Good design tends to be similar,” noted Kevin Gallo, development platform manager at Microsoft. “We learn from each other, but Fluent has been around for a long time. “

“We are evolving with the way people use our devices – and that is changing all the time. [The design elements] may sound familiar, but our goal is for them to feel natural and normal.

While Mica and other elements of Fluid Design have already started to bleed in pre-release versions of Windows 11, the process will be incremental as Microsoft slowly optimizes its new operating system. It is therefore only at launch that users will be able to experience the fruits of Microsoft’s new approach to design.

Via WindowsLatest