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CHAPTER 1 TAKING THE METRO WITH WINDOWS PHONE
visual indicators to the user of not only where they are going, but where they have come from. The
use of animation and other visual effects using motion is essential in building for Windows Phone.
Within Windows Phone 7 the capacitive touch screen and other sensors enable gestures to control
hardware accelerated animations and transitions which enhance the application. Hardware and
software features blend together to provide a unifi ed user experience.
Generations of applications across all manner of computer
systems have adopted a windowing approach in which the border
allows the user to control the window. On Windows Phone, there
is no chrome! There is no border on the window, on controls, or
even on content. Chrome takes up valuable screen real estate and
for what, to illustrate that one piece of content has ended and
the next has begun. If this is the case, use the content itself to
indicate where those transitions are. For example, when you
have adjacent images, instead of separating them by a few pixels,
simply fade out the trailing edge of one image so that it ’ s clear
where the second image begins, as shown in Figure 1 - 3.
The fi rst set of images in Figure 1 - 3 illustrates how images can
literally be separated using empty space. Applying the content not chrome principle, this can be
adapted to the second set of images, where the trailing edge, in this case the right edge, of the image
is blurred or faded in order to make way for the next image.
At the end of the day, don ’ t forget that you are building a software application for a mobile phone,
which should be intimately attuned to its owner. Build applications that are soulful and alive, which
offer a personalized and rewarding experience showing the information that matters most to the user
with minimal excess. Bring the application to life by integrating the user experience with the rest of
the device and making use of the platform ’ s unique hardware capabilities to make it feel responsive
to the user ’ s gestures.
Applications should embody the three Red Threads of Windows Phone 7: Personal — your day, your
way; Relevant — your people, your location; and Connected — your stuff, your peace of mind. We
will investigate this theory further in Chapter 3.
User Experience
The Windows Phone user experience is the canonical representation of the Metro design language.
However, having a design language isn ’ t enough in itself to build a user experience. A user
experience is governed by what you want to display and how users will interact with what is
being displayed. For the Metro user experience, there were two guides that were used to direct
the presentation of information: The user experience should focus on the individual and his or her
tasks, and to help organize information and applications.
You have to ask the question, “ Who was Windows Phone built for? ” and, surprisingly, Microsoft
has a remarkably well - defi ned answer. Windows Phone was designed for Life Maximizers and
specifi cally Anna and Miles. Life Maximizers are defi ned as individuals who value the use of
technology in their lives: They have both a busy personal life and professional life, yet they are more
FIGURE 1 - 3
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