After doing a bit of research about the highly anticipated Windows 8, I have drawn one clear conclusion: the designers at Microsoft were not afraid to mix accessibility and imagination. Microsoft’s new baby focuses on fluidity, ease and connectivity as it aims to transform the 25-year-old institution into software that is just as at home on a small-scale tablet as it is with a powerful desktop attached to huge screens.
What makes Windows 8 inherently different from its predecessor, aside from the brilliant colors and real-life graphics, is its beginning interface. Instead of the normal “start menu”, users of this updated version will begin with a square of tiles powered by touch (or a mouse and keyboard). Touch is a great option for those who have difficulties gripping a mouse or do not have enough dexterity to type using a keyboard. In addition, the software includes “fuzzy hit targeting” to adjust to the fact that fingers are less accurate than a mouse. Each tile represents a specific function or notification, keeping you up to date on everything important to you. The interface will include a host of apps that include an app store and a new version of Office. From stocks to the weather, the tiles are customizable and use up-to date information from your existing apps. The tiles, each a different color, are great for the visually impaired because each color represents a different function or bit of information. Let’s say the green tile means news and the blue tile means photo library, all you have to do is touch (or click) what you want to access; however, it is not just the color of the tiles that make them easy to distinguish, their size helps as well. Along with the other tiles on the start page, they make a large square that is about the size of your screen. Gone are the days of tiny and difficult to see icons. Windows 8 is here to welcome us into an era of personalized and easy to use, powerful technology. Check out the setup of the new start page here (insert graphic here).
Built “to run the apps you love”, said Julie Larson-Green, Corporate Vice President of Windows Experience, Windows 8 will make your existing apps that much easier to use. Instead of only opening one tab or app at a time, Windows 8 allows you to have multiple apps open at once, making multi-tasking not a stressful and overwhelming process, but a simple and effective means of accomplishing a task, it is simply a matter of swiping running apps into the center of the page and placing them how you want. One has the ability to “snap and resize” an app using this new software. What does it mean to “snap and resize”? It just means once you have opened an app, you can resize it fit the entire screen or minimize it so that it is not the focus. Think of this function as like “picture/picture” on your television screen. You can have a news story opened up to read while having the stocks projected in the corner. Or, for us simpletons, you can simply have one app open at a time, yet another great benefit for the visually impaired because you can adjust the size to meet individual needs. Larson-Green admits the new interface operates at an optimum level using touch-based technology; however, because the software is compatible with a keyboard and mouse, the possibilities for further development are endless. This is just the beginning.
This new beginning, Larson-Green hopes, will launch Windows 8 into the future as a platform for the evolution of Windows. “The user interface and new apps will work with or without a keyboard and mouse on a broad range of screen sizes and pixel densities, from small slates to laptops, desktops, all-in-ones, and even classroom-sized displays,” said Larson-Green. This new software is also good news for the future of assistive technology. With the launch of Windows 8 and its focus on connectivity, many devices used in the assistive technology world today, computers and tablets, will be able to use this highly individualized and personable software, making everyday life an individualized experience. The future of Windows 8 looks just as bright as the colors of its new interface. With a brand new touch system, easy to access apps and all the power and convenience of a traditional PC, Windows 8 makes for easy to use and powerful software that can only mean progress for the future of assistive technology.
