Gaming Culture: Dream 360 Dashboard

360 owner shows how he would simplify the console's interface.

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Though the Xbox 360 dashboard does what it's designed to do -- get players to their friends or games -- some users have found it a bit obtuse. When news came out that Microsoft wouldn't be updating the dashboard this spring in favor of working on performance tweaks, Mike Phillips of The Fanboys Lunchcast, an independently-operated game podcast, started to consider what the system's interface would need to make it more user-friendly. "We all started talking about what we thought really needed to happen -- more or less a reboot of the dash," he tells 1UP. But rather than simply gripe, Phillips took it a step further. "That discussion led me to start tinkering around in Photoshop, sort of putting my money where my mouth is."

The result is a dashboard that's dramatically and conceptually different. Phillips started by mapping out the amount of space allocated to the user, advertising, and interactivity, as well as unused space. In his redesign, he adjusted the ratio of user-to-advertising space and eliminated unused space.

He doesn't suggest that his way is the only one -- or even the best way. "I really just wanted to have a means to demonstrate the ideas I had for the dashboard and solicit some from the community," he says.



His design makes sweeping changes, but they address each of the complaints he's heard -- and has personally -- about the current dashboard. "We think the current design is really showing its age, considering the amount of content and new services that have been piled on top of it," he says. "The length of time it takes to get where we want to go in the dash was a chief concern. Just getting my [Xbox Live] Arcade games to fire up takes a couple minutes, between navigating the blades and waiting for everything to finally populate."

But the decisions weren't just about function over form.

Phillips put thought into the aesthetic qualities of the dash as well. "It's also been a constant source of frustration that you can buy themes and gamerpics for the dash, but themes get covered by the interface and advertising, and gamerpics are so small that they can be undecipherable," he says.

That's why, in Phillips' concept, the wallpaper takes a large amount of screen real estate, and the gamerpic is larger as well.

He compares it to a computer desktop, which is extremely customizable and "houses far more content than the 360 dash." He says he'd like to see the same level of customization available on the dash.



Of course, a large, clear wallpaper reminds some of the PlayStation 3's XMB interface, which minimizes menus and leaves a large spot for the background image.

Though Phillips tried to avoid such comparisons, they (predictably) came. "I very intentionally steered clear of mentioning the PS3, because I wanted to get a discussion going about the areas the 360 could improve and avoid a flood of system-wars posts," he says. "And they came anyway, of course." The Internet strikes again.

Of course, the massive reduction in advertising space could prove even more controversial from the perspective of Microsoft and its corporate clients. "When I started looking at it, I was curious just how much space I could call my own on the dash.

Turns out, not much," Phillips says. "I know lots of people grouse about the advertising, especially considering that Live is a paid service." As for the reduction in ad space, Phillips believes the Marketplace itself is the "appropriate venue" for that content.



But despite his criticism, Phillips is cautiously optimistic about Microsoft's ability to refine the dashboard. "Microsoft has lots of great designers, UI experts, and agencies who are loaded with talented people," he says.

When asked about the recent rumors of gesture-based menus, Phillips says he thinks Schematic (the reported UI designer) is a "killer design group" but feels "honestly concerned about any interface that becomes more animation-intensive." Still, he says he's "certain they could come up with something amazing."

And the result of all this? Nothing that we've seen so far. But Phillips feels that his concepts and the resulting discussion "serve as proof that this is a topic on the minds of 360 owners.

We just gave them a place to talk about it." And like any good business, Microsoft is probably paying close attention to what the customers buzz about.

Gaming Culture: Dream 360 Dashboard