The Windows 11 interface: new features and changes
Windows 11 is now here, and since October 5 many have begun to download and install it, many of them skipping the classic queue (because the release follows a progressive rollout): there are very many novelties above and under the hood, and here we’ve decided to investigate some of the most important aspects, starting with the most obvious: the new Windows 11 interface.
Although the history of Windows is full of remarkable interface changes, this time we see a more major change than others, starting from the Start Menu, all the way to a deep and more comprehensive revision of many aspects. We’ll be trying to understand the reasons behind some of the choices, often bold ones.
The Start menu at the center for the Windows 11 interface
The first change you’ll notice is undoubtedly the color on the initial configuration screens (which only appear on new PCs or clean installs; those upgrading from Windows 10 don’t see them), instead of the usual Electric Blue of Windows 10. But it’s when you take the first glance at the Desktop that you’ll sense that something big has changed.
The Start menu, which has accompanied all versions since 1995, is now in the center, no longer on the left. It’s an epochal change and a bold move, which has very clear and detailed reasons behind it.
Microsoft’s intention, as expressed in the project led by Ralf Groene, Corporate Vice President of Design Windows and Devices at Microsoft, is strong in wanting to give the new Windows interface a different and powerful character, which will stand for the next five or ten years of its evolution. One year ago, Microsoft revamped the Start menu (with Windows 10 20H2), but those were just small touches, a hint of what would come with Windows 11.
The new interface, here with Dark skin
The Start menu at the center improves the user experience and above all makes it easier: after all, in games, the character we’re using is always in the center, just like when we watch a movie, where the main elements of the scene are in the center. Similarly, when we drive, although we sit on the left-hand seat (at least us Italians), the dashboard with the instruments is at the center of the driver’s view.
One can also think of very large displays, those of 30’’ or more, especially those with a 16:10 aspect ratio: the Start menu positioned on the left is a strain for the user, who must always turn their head to start a new action. The central position of the menu will mean less mouse movement, and it will reduce the number of clicks as well due to the streamlining of its contents, with the favorite apps and the most used documents.
The intent of the new Windows 11 interface is to simplify the life of users as much as possible, especially for those who work in a hybrid environment (some time at home, some time at the office), for whom the overload of external information can be a problem. Hence the need to simplify as much as possible.
The new File Explorer
Windows 11 interface: a new way of ordering windows
Another key feature of the new Windows 11 interface is dynamic window management: simply move the cursor over the Resize button, and a small window appears that visually shows the possible positions of the otherwise overlapping open windows. With a couple of clicks, the windows will resize and arrange themselves neatly, like toy soldiers, and everything looks simpler.
While for users with smaller displays, such as those who are on laptops, the classic switching functions such as ALT+Tab or Windows key+Tab have remained, and have been enhanced in the latter case, for those with a large display, the ability to order overlapping windows in semi-automatic mode is really a great thing, simplifying the management of open documents quite a bit.
The new windows management
A new settings panel for less experienced users
Finally, although it’s not a novelty that concerns only the new Windows 11 interface, one aspect that will surely be appreciated by users is the new Settings panel, which, in addition to being enriched with new and important functions which before had been exclusively found in the Control panel, now has a new shape and organization, with all the commands revised and streamlined.
Now divided into 11 sections, always present on the left-hand side (so that the jump between a section and another is immediate, thus halving the number of clicks), it basically offers full management of operating system preferences for the common user, leaving the Control panel for the more advanced users, in an organic transition that is likely to be fully complete in a few updates.
The new and clear Setting panel
The Windows 11 interface: last but not least
Lastly, let’s talk about one of the biggest—and best ever—changes to the new Windows 11 interface: as could be previewed before on several third-party apps, the new Explorer is simply gorgeous (forgive the writer’s enthusiasm, which has been kept at bay until now).
Simple, modern, minimalist but complete with all the options, all by itself it stands for Microsoft’s desire to enhance the concept of modernity through a product that is drastically simpler than its predecessor.
For Microsoft, being “modern” means being simpler, easier to use, almost banal, but still full of options: the new Explorer is just that. Divided into three big areas, the Explorer shows on the left side the main folders and resources, on the top side the tools (which become active or inactive according to the selected folder and resource), and in the central area the actual content.
While we think all the new features of the new Windows interface we’ve described so far are of core importance and truly interesting for the user (and we’re just at the beginning: in the next episodes, we’ll examine other aspects), if we had to choose only one of them, we’d lean towards the Windows Explorer, a tool that has become simpler, more powerful and faster in its simplicity.
Which is really the intent behind Windows 11, isn’t it?