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Why Can't the Windows 8 Start Screen Look Like This?

Mar. 24, 2012 Paul Thurrott | Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows

In the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, we see a hint of the customization capabilities that Microsoft will be adding to the final release of the product. This includes, among other things, the ability to choose between a limited handful of Start screen themes. And while we know more choices are coming, the more I use Windows 8, the more I want to customize this screen. And I'm worried Microsoft won't go far enough.

In the Consumer Preview, the choices for Start screen customization are truly limited, with just 9 background colors, each of which includes a hard-coded accent color. (And some of these are terrible. If you choose medium gray, for example, the accent color is ... Orange?) You can also pick from five background patterns, all terrible, or to use no pattern.

I know from speaking to Microsoft several weeks ago that more is coming.

"There are more personalized options in the final version of Windows 8," I was told. "We're explicitly staging it out. At RTM, it will feel really personal."

The first hint of the expanded personalization choices can be seen in the first post-Consumer Preview leaked build, in which far more background color choices can be seen. However, it still looks like the accent colors are locked to particular background colors. I'd rather be able to mix and match as I see fit. More to the point, I'd really like to be able to arbitrarily assign a background picture to the Start screen, just as I can to the Windows desktop and Lock screen.

So if I want the Start screen to look like this, I should be able to do so.

Start-Menu-concept
I have a dream ... That my Windows 8 Start screen will look like this.

Because moving between the desktop and Start screen is so jarring, even in the Consumer Preview, some are actually recommending that we customize the Windows desktop to look just like the Start screen. That's terrible, and those choices look even worse on the desktop than they do on the Start screen. I'd rather the reverse was possible. And ideally, we could customize all of these things exactly as we'd like.

Cross your fingers, as this one could still happen. I'm just worried it won't.

 

Discuss this Article 22

aretzios
on Mar 24, 2012
I more than share your wishes on this Paul but this is not going to happen. The Metro/WinRT Start Screen would be there as is because it is essential to Microsoft's commercial goals. It is there to "condition" users to Metro and to "bury" the desktop/Win32. Microsoft wants developers to code for Metro/WinRT like crazy and it needs to "offer" to them hundreds of millions of desktop users to entice them. If users are able to "customize" their desktop, most would prefer to customize it according to their usage patterns; Then developers would hardly be enticed to developed for Metro/WinRT. Just face it. Microsoft needs at least 200,000 Metro/WinRT applications to compete in the mobile space. It would not get this number with its current market share. It can only achieve it by the "tablificattion of the desktop". OEMs sell 150 million PCs a year. Converting all of them into "tablets", would provide an immense incentive for programmers to code for Metro/WinRT. However, for Microsoft to retain its revenue, it must also attempt the "PCification of the tablets", supplying a full OS (at $50 per machine). In Microsoft's vision, developers will be coding for Metro/WinRT and the rich, windowing applications of Win32 are just a necessary casualty for Microsoft to gain traction in the consumer space. Thus, Win7 is really an orphaned OS, because nothing developed for Metro/WinRT would run on it. Win8 is totally disruptive. It is not a "change", it is really a new, mostly mobile OS that does run Win32 apps (as a concession to backwards compatibility). Users who want to continue with rich, windowing desktop applications must transition to something else. Maybe in the future, Metro/WinRT will become capable of supporting rich, windowing applications but I do not see this happening. If, in MS's vision, most computing is going to happen on smartphones and tablets, why bother providing windowing capabilities to WinRT? In addition, touch necessitates simplification.
Revxx14
on Mar 24, 2012
I really wish that the theme color for Windows 8 worked like it does on Windows Phone. I think the multicolored tiles start to look a bit cluttered and ugly, but I absolutely love the phone interface (I'm using a Samsung Focus, and trying desperately to get a Nokia Lumia 900 without having to pay for an unlocked one). I also wish that Microsoft had put more effort in to the desktop "app." While some of the new file copying and task managing features are great, I wish they'd done more work to make the Desktop work with Metro. Also, I'd just like a black background option.
JimmyFal
on Mar 24, 2012
I'll never forget moving from 95, to 98, to ME, to XP, and how the screensavers were all the same as before. I kept thinking to myself, jesus man why is MS so incompetent at the details? SO little from them would go SO FAR. I absolutely agree that they should go totally overboard with customization colors etc. AND DEFINATELY having our own picture on the background should be a right of passage, and always has been for Windows. I'm still upset at the lack of clarity between the settings for Metro and the Desktop control panel. Way too much room for grandma to get lost in Win 8. I'd love to see some more real world scenarios of actual people sitting in front of Win 8. Other than what's his names dad who couldn't find the start screen. I kind of wish he had just told him for us, so we could then see how he did at the stuff that actually mattered.
ahdr
on Mar 24, 2012
I am completely behind this idea. In September of last year I had already created and published a concept image of adding a background to the start screen to my blog http://tmblr.co/ZHdjYy9JyF6R. By using a tint and reducing the opacity of the tiles slightly it visually enhances the start screen even more. I also share the same sentiment in thinking Microsoft will not go the extra mile in doing this but remain boring and provide a typical Microsoft argument about how their intention is to create uniformity among all device types. So we shall see.
Drewidian
on Mar 24, 2012
I agree. This should be a no brainer for MS. There should be a setting to manually change the start screen wallpaper as well as theme support for automatically changing the start screen background wallpaper. I realize there is little chance MS will do this, but it makes total sense.
DigYourPuss
on Mar 24, 2012
I agree, although I'd personally add a transparent black background just to highlight the tiles over the background.
jvd897
on Mar 24, 2012
This would be nice to see -- but if there's one problem here, it's that a multi-coloured background photo could make the tiles stand out less. Of course, this issue could be fixed by applying a grey filter to the background photo, the same way that WP7's Pictures hub does. While we're at it, why can't the WP7 home screen have this sort of background photo too? Or at least something like the patterns that Windows 8 currently offers.
Waethorn
on Mar 24, 2012
Why doesn't it have a wallpaper on the Start Screen? Simple: because when you have many tiles on the screen, you're just not going to see it. It isn't a lack-of-customization issue at all - it's a design choice. When your app tiles are all blinking content at you, the background is completely distracting. Put text on it, and you can't even read it. They thought about this already Paul, and you're not a designer any more than all of the other 10-minute GIMP'ers out there that try to Metro-fy the Desktop.
Airraidsiren
on Mar 24, 2012
Paul, I recomended matching the desktop background to the start screen background to reduce the jarring effect. I didn't say I was fond of what that back ground is. The point is to improve the visual flow between start and desktop. Of course, I'd prefer to be able to match the start background to the chosen desktop background so that is not available yet. Have you tried this tip at least to see how it impacts this issue? Let us know. I agree, it will be better when we can chose better images, more choices. - Shawn
BrickEngraver
on Mar 24, 2012
I must say I disagree about having a picture as the background of the start screen as it kind of negates the entire graphic principles of the Metro style. Now of course people may not like that style but its basis to me is to be clean, simple, and easily readable. And a picture just creates noise. What would be cool would be to have it so that the pictures tile would be extra large and maybe frozen to the right and a frozen large tile frozen at the end that could be customized. Kind of like you can snap a window to the side. Have the picture within its own large tile and the rest of them against a plain or textured background. When you have a background picture on traditional desktop, you can move your icons around so that they make sense with the background. You cannot do that on the metro start screen. But then again people love to have pictures on the desktop and fish wallpaper on their bathroom walls, and despite what Microsoft and good graphic design dictate, they will still want to have them. So I guess really since Windows 8 is "no-compromise" the user should, perhaps, be able to muck up a essentially coherrent and excellent design. In my opinion, there is quite enough going on with all the updating of tiles.
BrickEngraver
on Mar 24, 2012
I must say I disagree about having a picture as the background of the start screen as it kind of negates the entire graphic principles of the Metro style. Now of course people may not like that style but its basis to me is to be clean, simple, and easily readable. And a picture just creates noise. What would be cool would be to have it so that the pictures tile would be extra large and maybe frozen to the right and a frozen large tile frozen at the end that could be customized. Kind of like you can snap a window to the side. Have the picture within its own large tile and the rest of them against a plain or textured background. When you have a background picture on traditional desktop, you can move your icons around so that they make sense with the background. You cannot do that on the metro start screen. But then again people love to have pictures on the desktop and fish wallpaper on their bathroom walls, and despite what Microsoft and good graphic design dictate, they will still want to have them. So I guess really since Windows 8 is "no-compromise" the user should, perhaps, be able to muck up a essentially coherrent and excellent design. In my opinion, there is quite enough going on with all the updating of tiles.
BrickEngraver
on Mar 24, 2012
I must say I disagree about having a picture as the background of the start screen as it kind of negates the entire graphic principles of the Metro style. Now of course people may not like that style but its basis to me is to be clean, simple, and easily readable. And a picture just creates noise. What would be cool would be to have it so that the pictures tile would be extra large so and maybe frozen to the right and a frozen large tile frozen at the end that could be customized. Have the picture within its own large tile and the rest of them against a plain or textured background. When you have a background picture on traditional desktop, you can move your icons around so that they make sense with the background. You cannot do that on the metro start screen.
bobby_b
on Mar 25, 2012
I sure hope they make it more consistent; the desktop is like a whole different world and with no start menu you feel lost because you can't use it independent of the start screen. :-/ If you want to have a decent app; then you are forced to get a desktop app because they Metro apps just can't be as complex/business app. I'm a developer and tried to create a Metro app but it's so limited (sandboxed) that I haven't got a clue of what apps will be created for it! Except for the stupid/simple games and no brainer apps. Just like for the smart phones where you have al lot of these stupid apps. You can't access win32 api's; no access to the full file system;no .NET Framework; no external .NET assemblies. Except for 'portable assemblies' but they are also very limited. I don't want to have the weather/stock exchange/... all day! I can see it realtime and if I want more info; I'll go open a webpage. So please tell me I'm wrong with these Metro apps; and that it can do more than just this simple stuff!
Straatkat
on Mar 25, 2012
The start screen is meant to be a hub of information. One of the reasons why the gadgets never worked was they got buried under open Programs. What would be cool is if they added a Windows Orb to the Taskbar. (Stop rolling your eyes) When you park your mouse on top of it, the start screen would preview (full screen) showing you what is happening, all the notifications. Clicking it would take you to the start screen, moving away from the start orb, will remove the start screen. This will better integrate the experience. This obviously does not work on touch tablets, so I would take the orb away on touch enabled devices. For desktops however, it would work great. Another little irritation is the closing of Metro apps. Why not just include a cross on the right click menu? The stupid animation for dragging it down with a mouse is just stupid, alternatively, why not include a menu item called exit? We have had those since DOS... The horrible truth is this, I only see the start screen once a day, that is when I start the computer and click on Desktop ;-)
BrickEngraver
on Mar 25, 2012
I must say I disagree about having a picture as the background of the start screen as it kind of negates the entire graphic principles of the Metro style. Now of course people may not like that style but its basis to me is to be clean, simple, and easily readable. And a picture just creates noise. What would be cool would be to have it so that the pictures tile would be extra large so and maybe frozen to the right and a frozen large tile frozen at the end that could be customized. Have the picture within its own large tile and the rest of them against a plain or textured background. When you have a background picture on traditional desktop, you can move your icons around so that they make sense with the background. You cannot do that on the metro start screen.
NY2NY
on Mar 25, 2012
I agree Paul, the user should have more GUI control options. Google did something similar with G-mail, the new look took away all but minimal color options. I spent a few hours tweeking the color, borders etc. The new look took away all that. Plus the icon are the worse graphic designs, the trash can with the flat grey look is horrendous.
The Other Paul
on Mar 25, 2012
Personally I don't care that much whether I can put a photo on the start screen, but I will probably do that if they let me. I'm more concerned that the start screen doesn't do enough to make it worthwhile. On my 1366x768 Toshiba notebook, the Start Screen has 4 rows of tiles for a total of up to 40 tiles visible. On my 1280x800 Android Xoom there are 64 icons visible, with lots of room to spare, and these buttons are quite large even for my big fingers. Of course the Xoom icons don't give me much information, and that's why Metro is better. But for some reason Microsoft doesn't want to be better so it short-changes us on the number of tiles. On 1366x768 the Metro screen could easily show 6x15 tiles (with the possibility of making some of the tiles larger to take up 1x2, 2x2, even up to 4x4 as Android does, and my fat fingers could handle it just fine. Then the larger tiles could show a list of emails, a list of upcoming appointments, the weather forecast for the week, and other useful information. I don't understand why Metro doesn't do this. Moreover, I'm mystified why, on a 2-monitor system, the Start Screen goes away when I'm using a desktop app on the other screen. If Microsoft really believes that the information on the Start Screen is useful, why won't it let me keep that screen visible all the time? It makes you wonder if the company even believes its own rhetoric about the value of the new Start Screen.
Airraidsiren
on Mar 25, 2012
I want to emphasize that I have been using Consumer Preview with a Desktop PC, Mouse and Keyboard on a 27 inch LCD. I absolutely LOVE the new Start Screen and how easy it is to access items by hitting the corners with my mouse. In reality, this is much better than just the traditional desktop. Once you organize your start screen to your liking and (This is HUGELY helpful, and yes, Paul I know you hate the background choices thus far. LOL) create a matching background for your Desktop (Huge difference on the flow between Start and Desktop) it becomes more and more comfortable. Now, I'm past comfort. Now I'm definitely preferring the new Metro Start Environment. And this is with my mouse and keyboard on a 27 inch monitor. I only go into desktop when the app I'm using takes me there. I look forward to more and more common apps being true Metro environment apps. As that happens, I'm confident more and more of us will not only get used to metro (yes, on regular PCs too), but we'll start to really enjoy it. My sincere advice is to keep using the start screen and you'll probably like it more too. If you need tips on tweaking it to your liking, there's tips galore everywhere. Oh, I do wish Microsoft would put a nice "Basic How To" video on the OS for using Start, etc. as I feel it would help many people. I can't wait to see how the RTM is! Oh, PS: This is goofy, but I hope they put a bunch of those Developer Preview Game Apps in the App store for download. My kids (and I) love Wordhunt among others. LOL - Shawn
nonnal
on Mar 25, 2012
It's not a bad idea, but I highly doubt it's going to happen, if for no other reason than Steven but usability above aesthetics when writing about the Start Menu in B8: "Incidentally, some folks have suggested we use less spacing, more transparency, or rounded corners to add more visual "candy" to the design. The clarity of spacing, solid edges and backgrounds, and rectangles is a significant improvement in the ability to identify your programs and to prevent overloading your brain causing headaches and the like (see this University of Massachusetts examination of the edge enhancement illusion and this one on the value that colors provide). Essentially these aesthetic additions trick your brain into thinking it needs to spend more time "understanding" the stimuli rather than just reacting to what it perceives." (http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/10/11/reflecting-on-your-comment...) So will we be able to add "eye-candy" behind our live tiles that will distract from your brain's ability to click the correct tile? I'm guessing no.
waxie
on Mar 26, 2012
About that jaring experience of moving between metro and desktop. After seeing your mockup piture I just had the thought that it would be nice if, when going to the metro environment from the desktop, the dektop background would dim slightly (kind of like when a UAC notification is dispalyed) and then the metro grid of icons could slide in from the left (a kind of overlay if you will). This could give the effect of a more "fluid" environment and not seem to yank the carpet from under you. Not that it would happen but I just throught id drop that into this forum.
thundr51
on Mar 26, 2012
I think everyone needs to remember that even though there is an '8' on the box this is STILL very much a 1.0 product. Honestly, I don't expect much from the RTM version after experiencing v1.0 of windows phone. (Heck i'm STILL waiting on a decent implementation of using RingTones). I've been using the preview with my Acer W500 and it's serviceable. I use the web version of office for docs(skydrive) and i've got steam for my games. Aside for the odd glitch, seems to be working. I would hope Microsoft is cognizant of their position and price this product accordingly but knowing MS...sigh...
techman.merb
on Mar 26, 2012
I'm fine with no image on the Metro screen. It's amazing how many times I'm at a client site and their wallpaper photo is so complex that you can't tell what the shortcuts are or even where they are in some cases. It really is not an enhancement to efficiency. By the way, the Metro interface works great with a trackball. I think that they could make a comeback once this is released. It's much easier and faster to use a trackball than a mouse in Metro. At the moment I have a mouse and a trackball connected and switch between the two of them depending on whether I'm on the desktop or Metro.

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