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Microsoft is the New Apple With XBox 360

It looks like Microsoft’s done an Apple with the XBox 360. Of all things, the standout feature in early reviews is not the graphics, but the user interface. That’s surprising, given Microsoft’s reputation for astonishingly crappy interfaces. In a discussion of the UI, BusinessWeek concluded: “Microsoft certainly seems to have done just about everything right.” […]
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Xbox 360 interface

It looks like Microsoft's done an Apple with the XBox 360. Of all things, the standout feature in early reviews is not the graphics, but the user interface.

That's surprising, given Microsoft's reputation for astonishingly crappy interfaces.

In a discussion of the UI, BusinessWeek concluded: "Microsoft certainly seems to have done just about everything right."

Wired News said: "What's impressed me most thus far about the 360 is how it streamlines and refines the user interface."

And Columnist John Dvorak said: "The Xbox 360 explores new menu structures with a unique and pleasant GUI... I have not seen a hardware/software system this well thought out for a decade or more."

According to a press release, the UI was developed by a UK consultancy, Akqa, and was perfected using good-old usability testing:

To arrive at the new Xbox 360 player interface, Microsoft and AKQA formed a multidisciplinary team of user experience, interaction design, user insight and behavior specialists, who built several functioning prototypes, working hand-in-hand with the Xbox 360 industrial design team. In-depth testing of the prototypes followed, with immersive workshops, usability sessions and interviews with customers taking place worldwide. The prototypes were then refined and re-tested.

BetaNews has a bunch of screenshots, and it does look surprisingly clean and uncluttered.