Over the years, there"s been no shortage of user-created concepts that try to depict what Windows 10 could look like, and that partly happens due to the number of inconsistencies across the OS, and how long it usually takes for changes to be made. A few weeks ago, a Reddit user focused on the File Explorer, but today, we have a new concept from Twitter user vGLAD, whose concept design is called Project Acrylic and focused on the Start menu and a couple of system flyouts.
Starting with (of course) the Start menu, we can see that the concept has it undocked from the taskbar and using rounded corners, something we"re already expecting based on Sun Valley leaks from earlier in the year. However, there"s a lot more going on here, starting with the dual-tone look thanks to the left-side pane using Acrylic transparency effects and the main area being a solid color. The All Apps list has been removed in favor of quick shortcuts to user folders and also some system settings like Disk Management, personalization, and connected devices.
Tiles are also done away with, and instead, a set of commonly-used apps and websites headlines the right-side section of the Start Menu, similar to how the Windows 10X Start menu looks in the preview builds we"ve had access to. However, below that you"ll see Quick Access, which is usually a page in File Explorer, now more readily available. Users can pin folders and documents to this area, too. At the bottom, a button can take the user to the All Apps list.
You can also see the File Explorer in this screenshot, but it"s not a big focus for this concept. It features a dual-tone design similar to the Start menu, and the ribbon has been removed, with core actions like renaming or deleting a file having new shortcuts near the top right corner. Some of the icons have also been redone.
Moving on to the next image, the concept focuses on the volume flyout and a new "Devices" flyout, too. Both also use rounded corners, along with Acrylic transparency and solid colors to help highlight certain UI elements, and offer quick access to certain controls. In this image, you can also see updated icons and spacing for the system tray icons.
The sound flyout allows users to switch input and output devices on the fly and control music playback directly from the flyout, while the devices flyout offers a quick overview of devices plugged into the PC or connected wirelessly, with shortcuts to manage their files in the File Explorer.
The concept has garnered praise by other Twitter users, but of course, it"s unlikely Microsoft will implement these concepts anytime soon. Microsoft has made some notable changes to the design in Windows 10 builds in the Dev channel, but they aren"t this thorough, and they may take a while to be available to the general audience.