Windows 10 UX for Phones preview available
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Windows 10 UX for Phones preview available

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by Jennifer Smith
Windows 10 UX for Phones preview available

If you’re working on Windows 10 UX for an app that will be used on phones, you will benefit from downloading the new Windows 10 for Phones preview. The Windows 10 preview is an early release of the operating system, and is intended for app designers and developers. It can be downloaded and run on many Windows Phones that are currently running Windows Phone 8.1. It allows you to test and design the Windows 10 user experience for phones.

The Windows 10 UX has changed for phones. Following are some differences compared to Windows Phone 8.1. Some of these impact the overall operating system, while others may change the way you plan and design a Windows 10 for Phone app:

There’s a new browser rendering engine that updates and improves the way that web content is displayed.

Interactive notifications make it much easier for a user to take action from a notification. From dismissing an alarm to replying to a text message right from the notification, the Windows 10 UX makes it possible for users to quickly address notifications. These will change the user experience within Windows 10 for Phone and the way in which users will interact with mobile apps.

Speech to text capabilities are being enhanced and spread across more of the Windows 10 UX for phone. Virtually all data fields will now support transferring speech to text, including the addition of punctuation which is added automatically as the speech is transcribed to text. This changes the Windows 10 UX considerably for phone, as users will become accustomed to speaking responses and commands rather than using the pop-up keyboard to respond.

The integrated Photos app has been enhanced, making it easier to view and work with both local and cloud-stored photos.

The Action Center provides more Quick Actions, expanding on the limit of four programmable actions that were available.

The start screen can now be customized with full-screen background images.

If you’re interested in learning more about the process for designing for Windows 10, consider the UX training classes offered at American Graphics Institute, which provide insight and guidance on best practices for designing for different form factors, devices, and operating systems.

About the author

 is a user experience designer, educator and author based in Boston. She has worked in the field of user experience design for more than 15 years. She has designed websites, ecommerce sites, apps, and embedded systems. Jennifer designs solutions for mobile, desktop, and iOT devices. Jennifer holds a Master of Science (MS) degree in Human Factors in Information Design, a Bachelors degree with a concentration in Commercial Art. When not teaching at American Graphics Institute, Jennifer Smith is an adjunct professor at Boston University.

Jennifer delivers UX training and UX consulting for large Fortune 100 companies, small start-ups, and independent software vendors.She has served as a Designer in Residence at Microsoft, assisting third-party app developers to improve their design solutions and create successful user experiences. She has been hired by Adobe and Microsoft to deliver training workshops to their staff, and has traveled to Asia, Europe, India, the Middle East, and across the U.S. to deliver courses and assist on UX design projects. She has extensive knowledge of modern UX Design, and worked closely with major tech companies to create educational material and deliver UX workshops to key partners globally. Jennifer works with a wide range of prototyping tools including XD, Sketch, Balsamiq, Fireworks, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Blend for Visual Studio. She also works extensively in the fields of presentation design and visual design.

Jennifer is also an expert on Photoshop, digital image editing, and photo manipulation. Having written 10 books on Photoshop, and having consulted and provided training to major media companies and businesses around the globe.

Jennifer is the author of more than 20 books on design tools and processes, including Adobe Creative Cloud for Dummies, Adobe Creative Cloud Digital Classroom, and Photoshop Digital Classroom. She has been awarded a Microsoft MVP three times for her work with user experience design in creating apps for touch, desktop, and mobile devices. Jennifer holds the CPUX-F certification from the User Experience Qualification Board and assists others in attaining this designation in leading a UX certification course at American Graphics Institute.