I shall assume at this point that you are
familiar with SharePoint 2013’s user interface (at least a little).
I mentioned that Microsoft has adopted a new
“Metro” design for its applications and operating systems, and
SharePoint 2013 joins the fold with this new look to the user
interface. Because the code name “Metro” is no
longer used (due to legal conflict), we now refer to the new design
branding, or theme, as “Windows 8.” However, before moving on from this
history lesson, I shall mention that the code name had significance.
The metro branding emulates the look and feel of signage in typical
metropolitan transport facilities, with greater emphasis on text than
graphics, to provide clear and concise instruction to users. Those
familiar with Windows 8, Xbox 360, and the new Windows Phone can
appreciate the simplicity of the new Windows 8 design.
Because the new Windows 8 branding
is less graphic intensive and geared more to simplicity with text, the
coding behind the design is less complex. Designers can easily
integrate the design of custom functionality with minimal use of
Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) elements and HTML. This is not to say that
the user interface loses capability. Much of SharePoint 2013 continues
to use AJAX and JQuery to achieve direct user feedback without multiple
page refresh cycles that plagued users of SharePoint 2007 and earlier.
Spend some time in SharePoint 2013 and you will get used to the
“Working” message appearing in the top right of the page, indicating
that SharePoint is processing a request without page post-back and that
the user interface will reflect update shortly.
Note SharePoint
2013 continues to use AJAX and JQuery rather than page post-back cycles
to update the user interface. Look for the “Working” message that
appears in the top right corner when SharePoint is busy processing the
page.
SharePoint 2010 introduced the ribbon interface,
also present in the other Office applications, which provided greater
navigation around the vast functions available in SharePoint. The
ribbon provides functional context by showing icons for only those
functions pertinent to the current user context. For example, if
editing the settings for web applications, the ribbon displays icons
for those functions relevant to web application settings. SharePoint
2013 does not disappoint—the new branding includes updates to the
ribbon, so the icons fit in with the Windows 8 style and provide users
with snappy navigation. Figure 2 shows a view of the new SharePoint 2013 ribbon.
The ribbon is not the only area that has a fresh new face. The Site Contents area (shown in Figure 3)
now displays lists and libraries with tiles. SharePoint 2013 refers to
lists and libraries as “apps,” hence the main icon to “add an app”
rather than a link to create a new list or library. No need to fear:
lists and libraries work the same as they always have (for the most
part). Microsoft now considers everything an app in SharePoint to fit
in with the App Development Model, which is the new way of developing
portable applications that work in SharePoint and other Office
applications.
Notice how the tiles, shown in Figure 3,
provide a very simple graphic and monotone coloring. This is provides a
crisp look to icons and tiles in the user interface without confusing
the user—exactly like the signs displayed in the Washington, DC, Metro
Transit System, most major airports, and the subway system in New York
City. I wonder where Microsoft got its inspiration!
You might be wondering what happened to the
Site Actions menu . SharePoint 2013 did away with the Site Actions menu and replaced
it with the gear icon in the top right. Figure 4 shows a cluster of icons
in the top right of every SharePoint site (except custom branded sites
and publishing sites in anonymous user mode). Clicking the gear icon is
akin to clicking the Site Actions menu in SharePoint 2010—it is here
that you can get access to the site settings, site contents view, and
some owner and administrative functions.
The Newsfeed, SkyDrive, and Sites links
navigate you to these areas within SharePoint. If you have My Sites and
user profiles enabled, these links are your access to personal content.
Typically, users like to access their personal content most, which is
why these links reside in this cluster as pervasive links with the
site. In similar fashion, you can access details about your profile by
clicking your name, which shows a drop-down to access your user
profile, customize the page, or sign out of SharePoint.
The Share icon is the new
approach to granting permissions to the site. If you have permissions
to grant others access to the site, the Share icon displays a dialog
box (Figure 5)
to invite other users to the site. Sharing versus granting permissions
aligns with what you see in social networking sites. You do not grant
users access to your Facebook page, but you do share information on the
page with others.
The box icon on the far right bottom of the cluster (Figure 4)
is an interesting feature of the design. Clicking this icon tells
SharePoint to focus the page on content by hiding the site icon and
header information. After clicking this icon, notice in Figure 6
that the ribbon and pervasive links remain intact, because you still
need this information on the page to navigate and access important
personal content.
Aesthetics are not the only changes in the new
SharePoint 2013 user interface. The design brings some functional
enhancements too. One of the more significant changes is the ability to
drag and drop files into document libraries. Open your browser,
navigate to the document library, and then try
dragging a file from your disk to the browser. You should see a drag
area appear where you can drop the file, which the browser then uploads
to SharePoint. Wait… I can hear the Safari, Firefox, and Chrome users
screaming from here, “I bet it’s only supported in Internet Explorer.”
The good news is that drag and drop to document libraries works on the
latest version of Safari, Firefox, Chrome, and Internet Explorer.
Curiously, Internet Explorer 8 and 9 also support drag and drop, but
only if you install Office 2013.
Note Drag
and drop to document libraries works in the latest version of Safari,
Firefox, Chrome, and IE (IE 8 and 9 work also, with Office 2013
installed).
The new SharePoint 2013 branding brings many,
many, new enhancements. If you are interested in a SharePoint 2013 deep dive, I recommend
reading Pro SharePoint 2013 Branding and Responsive Web Development,
by Eric Overfield, Rita Zhang, Oscar Medina, and Kanwal Khipple
(Apress, 2013). Before moving on to discussing branding SharePoint 2013
with the new Design Manager, I shall quickly demonstrate the new
preview capabilities in the SharePoint document libraries. If
SharePoint recognizes an image file type uploaded to a document
library, hovering over the document library entry in the browser shows
a brief preview (Figure 7).