Microsoft’s broader Xbox strategy for the last few years has involved a strong focus on hardware, resulting in last year’s cheaper Xbox One S and the upcoming release next month of the more powerful Xbox One X. But another long-term focus within the Xbox division, one that can’t be solved with faster components, is making the device easier and more pleasant to use. That’s the job of software and an ever-changing user interface, and it’s what Chris Novak, Microsoft’s head of Xbox design, spends his days thinking about.
“When you talk to customers and ask them what they want,” Novak tells me, “when you line all of those things up, they’re dramatically in conflict.” He says building software to please tens of millions of users, given how...
