Snap Groups

As we empower more users to snap by introducing snap layouts, the snap groups design brings the experience full circle and allows users to get back to that group in one click.

Process

The concept of switching back to a group of windows came with many experience decisions. Once a window is snapped, do we continue to show the individual window in the switchers, or only present that window in a group? Through user testing we found users preferred having the choice to switch back to the individual window or the entire group.

Version 1

Version 1 of the snap group visuals was launched with the rest of Windows 11 in Oct 2021. The design used the same pattern as individual window previews in the taskbar, although alternative UI treatments had been explored. Due to engineering cost, our team made the strategic decision to wait until we had user feedback indicating a unique visual treatment was necessary before investing in that work.

Feedback

The main user feedback was around understanding the concept, as users had a difficult time understanding what the additional window previews in taskbar were for. The opportunity was to improve the design by making it more clear what users were looking at.

The final solution was to keep the switcher UI experiences as is, rather than introducing a new inconsistent way to switch (separate spot for snap groups, different card UI, etc).

The final solution required updates to the group thumbnail visual, making it a scalable solution for all three surfaces, Taskview, Alt+Tab, and Taskbar. Compared to a solid color or other pattern, using the desktop wallpaper as a thumbnail backdrop sets the context for the window thumbnails arranged on top.