Microsoft Visual Studio is getting its first user interface change in more than 10 years

Microsoft's Visual Studio development kit may have added quite a few notable new features over the years. However, the truth is that the user interface of this toolkit has not changed at all since Visual Studio 2012. More than a decade has passed and now it is time for Visual Studio to refresh itself. to bring users a more optimal experience.

In a blog post, the Visual Studio development team said they had three main goals with this project:

1. Cohesion : It's important to strike a balance between the new look and feel and the overall experience that users have been accustomed to with Visual Studio thus far. By adopting Windows' familiar Fluent design language, Visual Studio will have a more seamless interface with the rest of the operating system as well as other Microsoft products.
2. Accessibility : The next important thing to ensure is to make the product more user-friendly and easier to use. This is demonstrated in a number of ways, including: Adjusting target sizes to make them easier to use while maintaining information density, using color more deliberately to reduce image noise and draw attention to the IDE's active areas,.
3. Productivity : The new user interface update aims to create a more consistent experience, helping you confidently navigate the product more easily by reducing the amount of time needed to get used to the interface. The ultimate goal is to make Visual Studio a more comfortable working environment.

As a simple example, the screenshot above shows that everything is more intuitive in the new interface. The spacing of items in the Visual Studios menu has been widened. Toolbars will also be larger on the new user interface. Document tabs and tool windows are sharper, brighter, and have more space so users can find and access these features quickly.

User interface changes will be released soon. However, at the present time, the Visual Studio development team is looking to receive more feedback from users to make more appropriate adjustments.

Marvin Fry

Update 15 May 2024