Microsoft to Clean Up Windows 11's Widgets Board, Focus on 'Calm'
Microsoft is revamping the Windows 11 Widgets board to create a calmer, less distracting user experience by default. The company is testing a new layout that hides the MSN News and Discover feed behind a separate tab, reducing visual clutter. This change is part of a broader effort to improve system performance and win back consumer trust.
- ▪Microsoft is testing a new Windows 11 preview build that minimizes the Widgets board's Discover feed.
- ▪The revamped Widgets interface removes prominent MSN News articles and adopts a minimalist design with more white space.
- ▪Corporate VP Marcus Ash emphasized designing for 'calm' to reduce distractions for over a billion users.
- ▪Microsoft is also working to reduce memory usage and address concerns about AI features weighing down Windows 11.
- ▪CEO Satya Nadella stated the company is focusing on fundamentals to win back consumers amid growing competition from Apple and Linux.
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As part of its pledge to improve Windows 11, Microsoft is looking to clean up the Widgets board, including hiding the MSN News feed and the aggressive articles that pop up. Microsoft is experimenting with the change in a new Windows 11 preview build rolling out to Insiders in the Experimental channel. “One of the areas we’re looking at closely across the operating system is the idea of ‘calm,’” Corporate VP Marcus Ash wrote in a blog post. “When you’re designing an experience for over a billion users, what are the right defaults that are easy, simple, and limit distractions?”This approach prompted Microsoft to make the Discover feed in the Widgets board “quieter by default.” Currently, it pops up the moment you open Widgets, taking up a prominent position by showing you various articles…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at PCMag.com - Technology Product Reviews, News, Prices & Tips.
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