Microsoft Design

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

A collage of Microsoft Office app icons, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneNote, and others, floating over a light background with abstract shapes and interface elements.

Iconography

Fluid forms, vibrant colors

How a subtle refresh of our Microsoft 365 icons signals deeper change.

A person uses a desktop computer with a monitor displaying the Windows 11 home screen in a bright, modern office space. The person's hand reaches toward the keyboard.

Windows – AI

Windows 11 design principles + tenets

Our guiding force behind designing Windows for the AI era

A Sign-in screen for Microsoft appears with fields for email or phone number, overlaid on a colorful, abstract background filled with floating shapes and playful icons like a keyboard, heart, and smiley face emoji.

Windows – UX/UI

Reimagining our front door

Using positive psychology to craft delightful sign-in & sign-up experiences

A Windows 11 desktop with the Start menu open, showing pinned and recommended apps, search bar at the top, and taskbar shortcuts at the bottom over a blue abstract background.

Windows – UX/UI

Start, Fresh — Redesigning the Windows Start menu for you

This is the first post in our new Beyond the Surface series, a behind-the-scenes look at how craft comes to life in Windows products and features.

A person with curly hair is sitting on a couch, using a laptop. The screen displays a presentation slide with the title "Location" and some charts or graphics. The person's hands are on the keyboard and trackpad.

UX/UI

The age of the design hacker

Six practical mindsets for building secure and resilient UX

Because some paradigms were ahead of their time… here's to designing the next 50 years with you.

Abstract 3D landscape of iridescent, overlapping cubes in green, blue, and purple hues, with small, metallic humanoid figures standing and interacting on various surfaces.

AI – Design Thinking

The future of AI isn’t just in the office—it’s on the job site

AI could create economic mobility for essential frontline workers—here’s how product makers can shift our thinking to encompass those experiences

A split-image showing a purple tablet with a kickstand on the left and a silver laptop with a colorful screen partially open on the right, both set against matching gradient backgrounds.

Hardware

Surface Copilot+ PCs: Built to evolve, designed to adapt

How we crafted a new line of Surface Copilot+ PCs to empower creation, connection and change

A green cutting mat with 3D letters, numbers, and symbols in white; surrounding papers show typeface samples and color swatches. The word "Calibri" is printed on the mat.

Design Thinking – UX/UI

From paper to pixels: The evolution of ClearType and onscreen reading

How we made digital text like printed words on paper

Abstract image featuring smooth, rounded shapes in shades of red, pink, and orange with a glossy, almost glasslike appearance against a gradient background. The forms blend and overlap, creating a soft, fluid composition.

Design Thinking – UX/UI

Making UX research insights and frameworks beautiful

Discover how one team transformed a complex UX research framework into a visually engaging artifact to make insights stick and spark alignment across teams

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.

Microsoft Design

Fluid forms, vibrant colors

Windows 11 design principles + tenets

Reimagining our front door

Start, Fresh — Redesigning the Windows Start menu for you

The age of the design hacker

The future of AI isn’t just in the office—it’s on the job site

Surface Copilot+ PCs: Built to evolve, designed to adapt

From paper to pixels: The evolution of ClearType and onscreen reading

Making UX research insights and frameworks beautiful

Trending

The vibrant evolution: Microsoft’s colorful transformation

Prioritizing inclusion over convention: Rethinking how we design packaging

Designing for humanity in the age of AI: Reflections from India UX Day 2025

Secure by design: A UX toolkit

Behind the design: Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S

Get to know us!

Jason Custer

Adoley Azu

Leitin Pedro

Kelly Gorr

Samantha Kitetu

Jenny Williams

Resources

Wallpapers

Secure UX

Inclusive Design

Responsible AI

Fluent Design System