Microsoft Visual Studio is getting a UI makeover for the first time in over 10 years

Microsoft's Visual Studio development tools may have added more features over the years. However, the actual visual language of the program hasn't changed since Visual Studio 2012. That's more than enough time to get a makeover, and that's what the Visual Studio team is working on right now.

In a blog post, the team said they had three main goals with this project:

• Cohesiveness: It is important to make sure these updates balance a new, refreshed look and feel with the familiarity of the Visual Studio our customers already know. By aligning with Fluent, Visual Studio will look and feel more seamless with the rest of the operating system and other Microsoft products.
• Accessibility: It is important that the updates follow our accessibility best practices and make the product easier to use. This manifests in several ways, including: adjusting target sizes to make them easier to use while maintaining information density, using colour more intentionally to decrease visual noise and draw attention to the active areas of the IDE, and using lighter weight controls to make it easier to distinguish different actions.
• Productivity: The UI updates work towards creating more consistent experiences, making it easier to navigate the product with confidence by reducing the amount of time it takes to get familiarized with the UI. Our updates also work to reduce cognitive load and mental fatigue, making Visual Studio a more comfortable work environment.

Left: Visual Studio 17.6 menu UI; Right: Proposed menu UI

The mockups that were showing in the blog post include more spacing on the Visual Studios menu, shown above. The toolbars will also get bigger with the UI refresh, and document tabs and tool window chromes will get some colour and, again, more spacing so users can find and access these features faster. The UI changes will be released soon, but the Visual Studio team is taking feedback about these changes from its many users at the Developer Community Ticket site.

Microsoft Visual Studio is getting a UI makeover for the first time in over 10 years