Windows Mobile 6.1 is just released and it has some nice interface tweaks and supposed to be more stable and faster than windows mobile 6. Its a great mobile OS due to its familiarity and compatibility with Windows for desktop. However Microsoft has never given much thought to user experience I guess.
I understand that windows mobile resembles windows in many ways and that probably makes adaptation easier but it probably goes too far with windows resemblance that it ends up being a non-userfriendly mobile OS.
I fully agree with Kevin Hoffman that Windows Mobile is a shrunken and crippled version of windows. I don’t see any value of a Start button on a Mobile OS. I have a few suggestions for Windows Mobile User-Experience team:
- Please remove the Start Button, its not needed.
- Show big, finger-friendly icons for various applications right on Home screen.
- Reduce number of screens and taps required to do various things.
- Please do away with tiny text labels and other little user interface elements wherever possible.
I think MS can borrow ideas from Palm, Symbian and other mobile OS. All of them seem to adhere to more or less same user-interface concepts.