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Office 14 Revealed: Part 3 – A More Far-Reaching Fluent UI
(Follow me on Twitter: msftkitchen)
Part 3 of my “Office 14 Revealed” mini-series is a very short part as all of my research has yet to yield much more than the following.
So, we’re all familiar with the ribbon bar interface (less commonly known by its trademarked name, the Fluent UI) introduced in Office 2007, right? It has been received with mixed reviews but Microsoft presses on. Yes, in addition to updating a number of Windows 7′s applications with the ribbon bar, the Fluent User Interface will be added to all Office client applications, as well as SharePoint intranet sites. According to Microsoft, “this will bring the benefit of the Fluent™ UI across the suite, and organize the application interfaces in a way that makes it easier for users to find what they’re looking for. For developers and application add-ins, customization of the Fluent™ UI will also be simplified. IT will have greater control in UI customization, including the ability to enable or disable specific functionality or entire applications.”
Conclusion: Any Office client applications which do not currently adorn the Fluent UI will now do as such. Additionally, it sounds like Microsoft may be listening to those who have been begging for more customization and user options with Office 2007′s UI – and more specifically – the ribbon bar. I guess we’ll find out when the time comes. Regardless, this mention of the Fluent UI being spread across Office’s entire client application reach, as well as SharePoint’s intranet sites, jives with Office 14 being a minor release… at least where the UI is concerned. Though perhaps more aesthetically polished and refined for customization, don’t expect earth-shattering changes with the user interfact in this version. I did find vague mentions of Office 15 thinking and changing how forms will be interacted with, but nothing too inspiring or news-worthy yet.
Coming up tomorrow is the 4th and final part in my “Office 14 Revealed” mini-series!
-Stephen
Do you know if Outlook 14 will include the “Fluent UI”?
Omatsei: Yes, it will. You can see it here as it looks currently in the Office 14 alpha build recently given to TAP testers: Outlook 14