Server and Tools

Mission critical software.

The Windows Server System and Development Tools design teams create user experiences for IT administrators and software development teams made up of project managers, developers, testers and software architects. We design for a unique set of users whose livelihood and professional identity is often tied to the IT infrastructure they are developing, deploying or supporting. It is not often about lifestyle products, it is about livelihood products.

There are several unique aspects to designing for Windows Server.

Complex problem solving
The challenge of the product designers for IT Pro and Developer Tools is to understand complex technology and make it seem simple. For example, the most user interfaces must support a large number of objects. Complex relationships such as hierarchies, containment, dependencies, workflow, and multiple levels of abstraction must be rendered simply in the interface, so that relevant information is readily available while still offering access to much richer levels of detail.

A broad range of users
At Microsoft, we must design for a wide range of users. At one end of the spectrum are those who devote their careers to coding, and at the other end are hobbyists who simply love to tinker. In the middle are developers intent on finding a quick solution to a business or technical problem so that they can move on to the next issue. Other users are part of the software product team but don't write code: project planners, testers, software architects, and database administrators. Each of these users has different needs, and yet integration of tools is key to an effective team process. Product designers must not only ensure that our features are well designed and usable, but that we build the right product made up of the right features solving the right needs to make the biggest impact on the lives of our users. We want our users to have a satisfying experience using our products, and we want our tools to make them more efficient both individually and as a team.

Performance and optimization
Tens of thousands of businesses rely on the server software that we build. If this software fails, businesses can grind to a halt. This means that the work environment of the Windows Server user is highly pressured and mission-critical. Under these conditions, having a great user experience takes on a whole new meaning. Our user interfaces must enable IT administrators to track down and solve problems within minutes. Product designers must fine-tune their designs to give users the data they need. Users must then be able to clearly and quickly be able to translate that data into actions on the system.

Bringing great designs to life
Working on Developer Tools is a rewarding experience. It's not just about fielding user requests and defining new features, but understanding developing technology and future needs for application design. Our product designers then translate that learning into powerful tools, bringing their great designs to life in a way that enables enterprise application developers, web designers, graphic artists, interaction developers and design enthusiasts to envision and build the applications of tomorrow.

It is incredibly exciting to be designing for the fastest-growing server technology in the business. It is incredibly challenging to be designing in the most complex technology space. It is incredibly rewarding to design software that affects users' lives so deeply.