Last month, Microsoft quietly shipped a subtle new feature that most people won’t even know about unless they have compatible hardware, and that’s an entirely new haptic feedback system that’s now woven throughout the OS interface. Subtle vibrations are now present when interacting with certain elements of the UI, and it’s genuinely great.
Microsoft calls this new system “Haptic Signals” and can be toggled on or off in the Windows Settings app if you’re using a device that’s compatible with it. Right now, its options are pretty limited, with the only configurable setting being the intensity of the haptics. You can choose between four levels of intensity, with 2 being the default.
But if you do have a compatible device, prepare to be impressed with the implementation of this new system. It feels great, and makes using Windows 11 feel super satisfying. Haptic bumps are present across the OS; when dragging files in File Explorer, aligning objects in apps, and snapping app windows to the edges of your screen.
It’s not everywhere, and that’s by design. It would become overwhelming if every visual element of the shell included haptic feedback, so Microsoft has chosen to only add it to “high value interactions” where “haptics clearly reinforce intent,” according to Microsoft design and research lead Marcus Ash.
With that said, I wouldn’t mind if it was applied to a few more places in the OS, including on things like the dismiss button for notifications and the “clear all” button for the Notification Center, or when enabling or disabling toggles in apps like Settings or the Quick Actions flyout.
Microsoft has also added haptic signals to PowerPoint, which presents itself when you align objects within a presentation. It’s one example of how apps can take advantage of haptics too, and the API is open to all developers to implement into their own apps if they wish.
This is the kind of quality if life upgrade that I love to see. Windows has sorely lacked niceties like this in its UI and UX design over the last couple of years, so it’s great to see Microsoft back on the horse and taking pride in the overall Windows experience like this. It’s not a necessary addition, but it’s an addition I’m so glad they’ve added regardless.
Microsoft is still tweaking the implementation of Haptic Signals, so be prepared to see it show up (or in some cases, disappear) in certain parts of the UI as the company figures things out. For example, during my testing, Microsoft removed the haptic bump from the close button on app windows, citing concerns that said implementation was “too noisy” and not subtle enough. I agree with this decision.
The only feedback I have is that I’d love to see more granular controls over the Haptic Signals feature. Being able to control the intensity is nice, but I’d love to be able to enable or disable individual categories of haptic responses. Being able to enable haptic feedback for window snapping, but disable it for object alignment would be handy, for example. That way, people can dial in just how haptically responsive their OS is.
The new Haptic Signals feature for Windows 11 is rolling out now, but is only available on a very limited number of devices for now.
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