Microsoft Design

We are Microsoft Design, a global UX community exploring and shaping the future of ~~technology~~ humanity.

A collage of numerous small images of cats, arranged to form a larger image of a cat's face. The collage includes various cat breeds and colors, with each smaller image contributing to the detailed depiction of a feline.

AI – Op-Ed

Lucid dreaming together with AI

A trip to Sintra that pushed the boundaries of my creativity

A close-up of a stylized circuit board in shades of blue and orange. The image features various geometric shapes like circles, rectangles, and parallel lines, creating a futuristic and abstract appearance.

AI – Design Thinking

Thinking Like AI: A New Approach to AI UX Design

What if AI had a resume? Our latest UX research exercise revealed fresh insights into AI’s role, challenges, and future in UX design.

A grid of 14 yellow emojis with various expressions, including laughing, crying with joy, winking, and blowing a kiss. The background is a vibrant pink and purple gradient. One emoji has a halo, and another appears to be sending a virtual hug.

UX/UI – Fluent Design

Bringing new emoji to Windows 11

A look at how we designed a new dimension of expression

Visual Design – UX/UI – Fluent Design

Embracing vibrant universality in Fluent illustrations

Rethinking our illustrations to create better experiences for our customers.

Design Thinking

Unsolicited advice to my younger designer self

What I wish I’d known starting out as a designer in big tech.

A stylish purple-themed workspace highlights a laptop showcasing a Microsoft Design digital planner. The background features a decorative vase with purple leaves and a shelf with a small jar, creating an atmosphere that's both bright and modern.

A tablet and smartphone display a design interface on screens, with a colorful and creative backdrop. The tablet's screen shows design categories and a search bar, while the smartphone displays assorted design templates. Objects around the devices enhance the artistic theme.

AI – Visual Design – UX/UI

AI-Powered Creativity with Microsoft Designer

How we made a visual design tool for everybody

Inclusive Design – Design Thinking – UX/UI

Inclusive Design’s next wave breaks for mental health

Our toolkit for designing with cognitive diversity extends into wellbeing

A digital artwork showcases a 3D grid of cubes with a reflective surface, enhanced by AI-driven design. The cubes form a tunnel-like perspective, with gradients of yellow and purple crafting an abstract, futuristic ambiance. Small droplets or bubbles float throughout the scene.

AI – Design Thinking

Design Systems for the AI Era

How we’re building the tools to build the future

Graphic with bold, stylized text reading "Content Designers" and a subtitle "The unsung heroes of design." Additional smaller text notes the role of former English majors in technology and design. Features abstract shapes and a checkmark symbol.

Design Thinking – Content Design

Content Designers: the unsung heroes of design

Why former English majors will become the epicenter of technology & design.

Trending

What’s popular with designers this week

Visual Design – Brand

The vibrant evolution: Microsoft’s colorful transformation

In the ever-evolving landscape of design, color isn’t just visual—it’s emotional.

Collage showcasing various Aptos font styles and their applications, including Display, Condensed Light, and Black. The images highlight different alphabets, symbols, and context uses, such as a portrait, map, and typographic grid.

UX/UI – Content Design – Brand

A change of typeface: Microsoft’s new default font has arrived

Introducing Aptos, our modern successor to Calibri

A 3D abstract sculpture composed of layers and folds, resembling flowing fabric. The structure is in soft shades of purple and set against a dark gray background, giving it a smooth and elegant appearance.

Visual Design – Brand

Silver linings and new hues

Collaborating with Pantone to bring more color to work and life

A still life composition featuring various 3D-rendered letters and shapes in white and red. The scene is illuminated dramatically with light and shadow, and a translucent fabric drapes softly over part of the display. The setting is minimalist and artistic.

UX/UI – Content Design

The hidden power of typography

The science behind how design choices influence perception and behavior

Hardware

Behind the design: Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S

Why these designers had to be in the room where it happens

Get to know us!

Meet the thinkers and tinkerers at Microsoft Design.

A stylized illustration of a bearded individual with large black-framed glasses, a cigarette in their mouth, and a playful expression. The background is blue with the name "Jason Custer" written in white, bubbly letters on either side of the figure. — Jason Custer

What does an icon designer do?

A colorful illustration of a smiling woman with short black hair, labeled as a "Principal Design Researcher." The background features abstract patterns and silhouettes of people in vibrant shades of pink, blue, and purple. — Adoley Azu

How a Principal Design Researcher is bridging the digital divide

A colorful illustration of a bearded man with a smiling face, wearing a red shirt with patterns. The background is an abstract mix of vibrant colors. The text "Leitin Pedro" and "3D Designer" is written in a playful, white font on either side of the man. — Leitin Pedro

A 3D visual designer talks designing to scale

Illustration of a smiling woman with short dark hair against a vibrant, abstract background featuring colorful geometric shapes and window-like patterns. The text "Senior UX Engineer" is written beside her. — Kelly Gorr

Innovating in pursuit of the ultimate customer experience

A stylized digital illustration of a smiling person with long, twisted hair, wearing hoop earrings. The background features bright patterns in yellow, blue, pink, and black. A label on the right reads, "Samantha Kitetu, UX Designer. — Samantha Kitetu

Samantha Kitetu, a UX designer, sits down to talk with Ohemaa Dixon to discuss her journey in UX design so far in Nairobi, Kenya

Jenny Williams, Content Designer — Jenny Williams

In the age of AI, will content designers become extinct?

Resources

Whether you want to practice new skills, develop new concepts, or create prototypes, these toolkits are your place to start.

Wallpapers

Download your favorite wallpapers from Microsoft

A minimalist landscape features rolling hills in vibrant red, orange, and pink hues under a clear blue sky. A single small white cloud hovers in the upper left corner, creating a striking contrast with the colorful scenery below.

Inclusive Design

Toolkits, activities, and principles for designing inclusive experiences that draw on the full range of human diversity.

A close-up, black-and-white photo of hands using a braille display keyboard, which has raised dots for tactile reading input, connected to a laptop.

Responsible AI

From the latest research and policy changes, to concrete tools and practices, these resources help ensure the ethical advancement of AI experiences.

A close-up image of a blue installation featuring several overlapping, fan-shaped panels. The edges of the panels exhibit a gradient of blue to purple hues. The installation appears to be an abstract or artistic representation with a soft, glowing appearance.

Green Design Principles

Tool for product designers to break from the status quo and help our planet.

A whimsical illustration depicts a serene landscape with soft green and grey mountain shapes in the background. Atop a rounded peak, a playful, white creature with fluffy, abstract features is perched, adding a touch of whimsy to the subdued scene.

Fluent Design System

Visit the Fluent Design System website to get your app started with templates and samples.

A glossy, 3D arrow shape pointing upward, rendered in soft pastel hues of blue, pink, and purple. The abstract object appears to be floating just above a smooth surface, with a blurred, gradient background adding a dreamy, ethereal feel to the image.