Why Microsoft thinks customization is the secret to a better Xbox One dashboard design

Microsoft’s broader Xbox strategy for the last few years has involved a strong focus on

hardware, resulting in last year’s cheaper Xbox One S and the upcoming release next month of the more powerful Xbox One X. But another long-term focus within the Xbox division, one that can’t be solved with faster components, is making the device easier and more pleasant to use. That’s the job of software and an ever-changing user interface, and it’s what Chris Novak, Microsoft’s head of Xbox design, spends his days thinking about. “When you talk to customers and ask them what they want,” Novak tells me, “when you line all of those things up, they’re dramatically in conflict.” He says building software to please tens of millions of users, given how drastically gaming has changed in just the last three to four years, is a daunting task. There’s no way to please everyone, but Novak and his team think there might be a path toward making more people happier with the Xbox experience over time than ever before. We’re in a conference room at Microsoft’s Redmond, Washington headquarters, having just gone over a number of new concepts the design team is working on to improve the Xbox One’s core software. For Novak, designing the Xbox One dashboard — the main hub of the system and the software layer users interact with most outside playing games — is as personal a process as decorating someone’s home. It almost always involves conflicting ideas, and one person’s preferences are often at odds with another’s.                                                                                                                        https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/5/16426122/microsoft-xbox-one-dashboard-design-ui-refresh-interview-customization