One of the best ways to keep your product refresh is a design change. It is evident that the change should not be at the cost of usability, but new icons, designs, colors, they all make a huge difference for consumers. It is almost like getting new clothes now and then. Microsoft is doing the same for Windows 10. They are now rolling out a new set of icons for Windows and its Products under the Fluent Design System.
Windows 10 to get new icons under Fluent Design System
That said, you can hold your self from checking for the update. At least for now. Microsoft is rolling out the new set of icons to Windows Insiders, which are on the fast RingRing.
As reported by TheWindowsClub, The new icons are coming for all the Microsoft products, which will give their application, and the OS a significant overhaul.
Announced by Christina Koehn at her Medium blog, she talks about how icons have now become increasingly important because they are cues to find what we are looking at our devices. It can be your phone or a computer; all we seek is for a familiar icon. We do not look by name; we look by icon, its color, and how it is designed. Microsoft new set if icons leave visual cues into the icon design language using the modernized Fluent Design Language.
What she is sharing is very accurate, and I am sure most of us will agree to it. When we look for File Explorer, we look for a yellow icon that has a folder with a partial bluish rectangle. When we look for the Microsoft store, we ware looking for a bag with a handle and colors in the middle.
Icons remain the same at the primary level
That said, now that people have more personal devices than ever, and have the opportunity to connect everywhere. A company like Microsoft, which has a significant presence everywhere in the form of apps and services, it is vital to have the same set of icons everywhere. However, there is one thing that the Microsoft Design team has taken care of. These new icons remain the same at a basic level.
A calculator, no matter what color it takes, should not change to an icon that looks like a folder. Familiarity is vital, while the design might change.
As the applications are updated, you should see new icons from the Microsoft Store. Those in Windows Insider Release Preview should see Mail and Calendar icons rolled out. If you are on fast Ring, more images should be visible, and more will be in the coming months.