Dieter Ram states ten principles that can make up a quality website. When scanning Microsofts overall User Experience (UX) I can attest that their website is sleek, easy to use, and quite informative.
Everything is clearly labelled with buttons, links, and relevant information. Microsoft has a long list of products, from gaming to computers to accessories and applications. Microsoft has been able to not overwhelm the customer by segmenting each ‘Genre’ into it’s own section, as well as providing help through icons and links. This most certainly ‘Makes a product understandable’, as well as makes the website ‘Unobtrusive’, which are two of Ram’s principles for a good website.
When clicking on ‘Shop Xbox games and consoles’ for example on the front page, we are taken to a very similar looking landing page which features all types of Xbox related products. The same icons and links we saw before and now related to Xbox products, and not all of the above. In my opinion this integration is quite ‘Innovative’ (Ram’s 1st Principle) as well as ‘Is Thorough to the last Detail’ (Ram’s 8th Principle). You can find quite literally anything for Xbox related products, games and accessories on this page; and everything is once again clearly labelled and segmented.
The overall user experience I had while looking through Microsoft.com was very nice. There was a for sure convenience factor with the way everything was laid out; never did I have a moment where I was thinking of where I should be clicking or where this page will take me. The only point of potential confusion could be through the scrolling flyers on the top and bottom of the page as they are on a timed rotation. Someone may miss what one of the flyers said, and by the time they go to read it the picture has switched to a new ad. This isn’t a big deal however, and overall I will say that the User Experience on Microsoft is quite innovative, simple in design, and pleasant to operate.