Windows 8

By Michael Baxter on 2 April 2013 with tags Tech

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Windows 8 proves web apps are the future of computing. Microsoft wants developers to code in the language of the Web - just like Google. Can anything resist their combined might?

Windows 8 is built to operate and respond to code and objects developed in HTML5, CSS, and Javascript. So when building a website it is worth taking a minute to add enhancements for this new platform. The Windows 8 home screen works with live tiles. This enables applications to change state and report activity without users having to open them. The techniques described below enhance the user experience. The more comfortable people are with how a site responds the more they will be willing to interact with it.

Badges
This is the image and tile colour that appears on the home screen. Why not have your logo and primary web or brand colour there? You can easily build a badge online and access the required meta code.

Badge Updates
Imagine you have a website with a newsfeed or “today’s hot products”. With Badge Updates you can show indicators on the home screen badge that inform the user what new items are on the site. (See Microsoft documentation)

Task lists
Visitors to your site may wish to perform standard tasks/functions. These could be things like contact you, enter a competition, or view the latest hot products. You can create a Task list which appears as a menu to the users. These are a sort of mini menu that they can use without navigating around the site. (see Microsoft documentation)

Metro look websites
One of the other major changes with Windows 8 is the concept of tiles. The overall concept comes under the banner of Microsoft’s Metro user interface. There are many frameworks out there to achieve this in your traditional website. Of special interest is Boot Metro. This framework contains many of the elements required. There are also examples of using live dragging of tiles.

If you need assistance in implementing the above on websites please contact us and we can get it all going for you.