Resources  /  Technical

UX guidelines for Metro style app development

The Windows Developer Preview introduces a new development platform for creating Metro style apps. What is a Metro style app you say?

“Metro style apps are full screen apps tailored to your users’ needs, tailored to the device they run on, tailored for touch interaction, and tailored to the Windows user interface. Windows helps you interact with your users, and your users interact with your app.”

One of our internal Blend User Group members asked me where one could find Design Guidelines for Windows 8 Metro apps. Bonny Lau, from the Windows team, shared a terrific link to the new Windows Dev Center, outlining comprehensive guidelines from planning to building your Metro style app. These guidelines also cover new UI lingo (app bar, charms bar, snap view, etc.), animations, and more.

Diagram showing semantic zoom level changes when a semantic threshold is crossed.

Diagram showing semantic zoom level changes when a semantic threshold is crossed.

Below is a list of links narrowed to Metro style app UX guidance (some areas are not available yet).

Planning Your App

Designing for Touch

Building Your App

Anatomy of an App

Views

Layout

General Purpose Controls

Commanding Controls

Text Input Controls

Collection Controls

System Components & Contracts

Animations

Other Common Experiences In Apps

I hope this link will help you get started building your Windows 8 Metro style apps!

-Billy, UX Designer for Blend