Metro is a programming language, created by Microsoft, originally for use with Windows Phone 7. The language is typography-based, meaning it focuses more on typography versus graphics (“content before chrome”). Microsoft has also used Metro in the Xbox 360 dashboard (updated version) and in Windows 8 (pictured below).
Metro was primarily developed to improve usage and performance around common tasks that many users perform. Some aspects of Metro could be seen in the Windows Media Center edition for Windows XP. Microsoft also used some bits of Metro in the new Zune interface in 2006. Overall, Metro has received positive reactions from most users. It was also awarded the People’s Choice Design gold award from the Industrial Designers Society of America.
An easy way to identify Metro is with its use of tiles instead of icons.
GUI, Programming terms
