Microsoft has started to test an update for its many web properties that changes the header bar. The update improves the drop down experience from a large black bar to a cleaner white box that lays on top of the existing content.
The update is a minor tweak but for those of you who are heavy users of Microsoft"s many online products that utilize this header, it"s a modest change that you will notice once if the update hits your account.
The new layout is posted below and you can see the down arrow has been replaced with the grid style icon.
This is a small update for Outlook and Microsoft"s other properties but its these types of consistent updates that when paired together make for a better user experience. We have seen Microsoft make similar types of updates to its Office site earlier this year.
When we asked Microsoft for a comment on the change, this was their response:
“We’re always testing new ways to engage our users across our services.”
We will be curious to see if this is that start of a more dramatic overhaul or if this is simply one of the many changes that Microsoft is always testing.
If you see any other changes to Outlook or any other UI, make sure to send us a tip.
Update: This has now started rolling out to all users of Outlook.com.
Thanks for the tip Zlip792