Windows Start Menu evolution
We all are familiar with Windows Start Menu but how the Start Menu development, design reached up to today’s level from way back to Windows 95. It look lots of efforts, analysis how its used worldwide by users and innovative minds of developers & designers. All the effort done came to such success because designers followed the trends which users follow while using Windows and by learning from several problems they faced. We will see how start menu evolved down from the memory lane to the era of Windows 85 till Windows 8 Developer Preview right now we are seeing on our PCs.
Start Menu Design goes back to 1992 where designing of Windows 95 start menu started. Have a look of Windows 95 Start Menu and you will come to know the improvements so came with incremental changes with the feedbacks users send.
While navigation to all programs was bit slow in this. Then came Windows XP’s Start Menu which introduced most frequently used (MFU) section that shows programs used regularly but had no customization of that section. So pinning of apps came in Windows Vista and Windows 7 which made it much more flexible and easy to use with more user friendliness.
Even the Windows Vista and Windows 7 Start Menu came up with a new innovation of Start Search which reduced the “time to launch” program and in an instant we can have results. But still there were some need of improvements like All Programs section was bit full and cramped, Search results is bit overcrowded with lots of different types of data so here we are with Start Screen in Windows 8.
With the help of stats so collected from years and years we have reached up with a Start Screen with improved search, more room for all your programs, tiles that are alive with activity, and richer customization.