Digital Home Thoughts: How Windows Got Its Wow Back... Really!

"We had to make sure that we took care of Windows as having an authentic soul." He knows you may be snickering, especially if you use Vista. "Vista tried to do a lot of things, and the places where we didn't finish the job are the places people feel," he says.

The Windows 7 launch date is soon approaching, and many Microsoft enthusiasts and even critics are looking at Windows 7 as a good step forward. A large part of that is determined through the user interface and experience. Fast Company got Microsoft's head of user-experience design to explain the reasoning behind some of Windows 7's more talked about features. When dealing with a finished product, it is sometimes really easy to forget just how much work can be put behind something as simple as a boot-up screen or a list of files. Hundreds, maybe thousands of man hours could be behind wallpaper or icon that you glance at and casually dismiss, but all those little details, from the sound of a click, to what happens when you shake the mouse, all add up, and it looks as if Windows 7 and Microsoft might get it right this time!