Metro Applications

Metro is an internal code name of a typography-based design language created by Microsoft, originally for use in Windows Phone. A key design principle of Metro is better focus on the content of applications, relying more on typography and less on graphics ("content before chrome"). Early uses of the Metro principles began as early as Microsoft Encarta 95 and MSN 2.0 and later evolved into Windows Media Center and Zune. Later the principles of Metro were included in Windows Phone, Microsoft's website, the Xbox 360 dashboard update, and Windows 8.

Microsoft designed the design language specifically to consolidate groups of common tasks to speed up usage. It achieves this by excluding superfluous graphics and instead relying on the actual content to function as the main UI. The resulting interfaces favor larger hubs over smaller buttons and often feature laterally scrolling canvases. Page titles are usually large and consequently also take advantage of lateral scrolling.

Animation plays a large part. Microsoft recommends consistent acknowledgement of transitions, and user interactions (such as presses or swipes) by some form of natural animation or motion. This aims to give the user the impression of an "alive" and responsive UI with "an added sense of depth."Internally, Microsoft has compiled a list of principles considered core to the design language.