Windows 8 In Depth

Taking a Tour of the Windows 8 Interface

When Microsoft was designing Windows 8, one of their guiding principles was “content before chrome.” That is, Windows 8’s new interface gives top priority to content—apps and app data—and either hides or eliminates chrome—menus, tabs, controls, icons, and so on. That way, when most new users first come face-to-face with the Windows 8 interface, whether it’s the Start screen or a Windows 8 app, they usually don’t have a clue how to proceed. The lack of chrome makes for a pleasing, uncluttered screen, but it also means that you get no clues that tell you how to proceed. The most common scenario we’ve seen is for a new user to click a Start screen tile to open an app (which seems like the obvious thing to ...