The Evolution of Microsoft Hardware Design
In the early days of hardware design, aesthetics and user experience took a backseat to options and functionality. If the product looked great or was fun to use, it was usually a happy accident. However, the past few years have seen a shift. As our relationship with technology has become a bigger part of our lives, we’ve developed a need for computer accessories that work, yes, but that also improve our experience and help express our personality. And we don’t just want a seamless combination of form and function; we expect it.
Understanding this, the Microsoft Hardware team has been driving innovation and finding ways to enhance the experience of using our products. For instance, by building a mouse with haptic feedback that gently vibrates to indicate scrolling speed, like we did with the Arc Touch Mouse and the Explorer Touch Mouse, we create a tactile connection that makes the user feel closer to the action they’re taking. By designing a webcam with exceptional clarity, like the LifeCam Studio, we help people feel closer to each other.
When someone uses a hardware product for the first time, we want them to experience comfort, performance, style, and ease-of-use. Our goal is for every device to make interacting with the computer easier and more enjoyable, so we challenge ourselves to approach our designs holistically. Furthermore, we consider how important it is for some of our customers to have a mouse or keyboard that extends their personal style. For these customers, we’ve expanded our selection of colors and partnered with premier artists to offer mice with expressive designs like those offered in the Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 Studio Series Artist Edition or the Touch Mouse Artist Edition.
We’re still focused on creating products that work well, of course, but we’ve simplified and beautified to offer products that you’ll enjoy using every day.
Learn more about the changing design culture at Microsoft ›
Learn more about what drives Microsoft Hardware design ›
- Hardware Team
Obviously Microsoft didn’t bother taking ergonomics into account with the Touch Mouse. It’s a great concept, but implementation is horrible.
I have such a massive problem with something so simple as holding the mouse. Since the mouse tapers drastically before the midpoint, there is no room to grip the mouse that doesn’t force your thumb and pinky to come into contact with the gesture surface, thereby preventing the proper detection of a click event.
For some reason, when the pinky is on the gesture surface, the mouse will recognize a click anywhere as a left click. This makes right clicking impossible. You have to consciously remove your pinky from the mouse for it to register a left click. The same is not true in the reverse, if only you thumb is on the mouse, it detects left and right button clicks properly.
The way to avoid this is to hold the mouse behind the midpoint, which makes you grip tighter to control it, and causes strain in the thumb and forearm very quickly.
I’m not sure who created this mouse, but it’s an ergonomic nightmare.
I’m extremely disappointed in it, and I have never been let down by Microsoft hardware in the 20 years I’ve been using it. (Except for very limited mice designed for left handed people, which I have adapted to using a right handed ergonomic mouse left handed). If I hadn’t thrown out the box already, it would be going back to the store.
5:12 pm Max
Normally I’m against killing but this article slaughtered my igonrance.
7:41 pm Jailene
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9:49 pm Vianca