We’re all aware of the rumours that have been swirling around for many months now, about Microsoft wanting to kill off the Control Panel. People have been using the Control Panel since they first started using Windows. Even today, many technological advancements later, we still use the control panel or the Setting menu in Windows 10. It has been said that it was comparatively easier to do things from the control panel than the Settings menu in the Windows 10.
Get Rid of or Keep the Control Panel? How Is Microsoft Going to Do It?
Microsoft made an announcement that they’re going to go ahead with the sunset of the Control Panel. The Control Panel, according to the tech giant, will be integrated into the Setting menu. You will be redirected to the ‘About Page’ with the updated start menu whenever it is that you want to visit the ‘Control Panel’. So instead of the old classic control panel, you’re going to be seeing all the options in your all-new settings menu.
Probably the greatest thing I wish Microsoft would change about its UI configuration is the supreme expanses of futile whitespace that it leaves on any big-screen display. For e.g. People have their 13in laptop running at 200 per cent magnification instead of 100 per cent, which is 1440p making it extremely hard to read. The waste of space is pointless and does not make for good user experience.
The design language in Windows 10 has been borrowed and tweaked from its predecessor, i.e. the Windows 8. This is what Microsoft could have changed in their latest UI. The design cues in the Windows 8 UI have been taken from their very own Windows phone, which would’ve made sense for a smaller screen but not a big screen.
What Problems Has Microsoft Already Faced?
The main hurdle for Windows right now is retrofitting the Control panel applications into the Settings menu. The low-density UI design of the Windows 10 is not equipped to provide that level of detail granularity that the nested menus of the old control panel need. Microsoft could arrange the smaller subheads into larger categories to reduce the clutter.
Microsoft will need to put more into research on what it actually needs to tackle to leave behind the control panel. Till date, Microsoft has never shown a UI structure capable of absorbing the Control Panel. This is owing to Microsoft’s strategy to pivot the Windows UI to the smartphone and tablet market. Quite a lot of changes that were made in Windows 8 which were further transferred into Windows 10. Many of those changes were made thinking about their functionality on a small screen of 5-7inches intended to be navigated with fingers and not a trackpad or a mouse.
What Can We Expect?
In order to tackle this problem, the tech giant will have to come up with a UI suitable for 25+ inch displays which hopefully provides more flexibility when it comes to arranging system settings. Microsoft, in its latest blog, has asked people for their feedback if they only rely on setting present in the Control Panel.
