Microsoft has introduced Fluent 2, the next-generation of its design system aimed to enhance collaboration and inspire creativity throughout the development process. Building upon the solid foundation laid by Fluent 1, this iteration aims to unify Microsoft's vast product portfolio and services.
In an official statement on their website, the company elaborated on the improvements and innovations brought forth by Fluent 2: “All to empower makers at every angle of the system to drive toward a single purpose. That purpose? One Microsoft across the products we offer, the services we provide, and the communities we make.”
With Fluent 2, Microsoft has introduced several significant updates, including a more cohesive color system, a token system, standardized corners, greater customizability, robust usage guidance, and accessibility notation. These improvements not only streamline the design process but also facilitate better communication between teams involved in application development.
One notable feature of Fluent 2 is its new token system, specifically aimed at providing a smoother handoff from design to development teams. It ensures seamless integration between various Microsoft products, all the while maintaining a consistent visual language across platforms.
At present, Fluent 2 supports Web React, iOS, and Windows components, with Android support currently under development. Microsoft has already begun implementing Fluent 2 in their applications, as demonstrated by the recent redesign of Teams. The new design system played a pivotal role in enhancing Teams' overall performance, accessibility, and consistent theming, enabling a more unified and efficient design-language update process.
Kay Davis, Principal Design Manager at Microsoft, articulated the advantages of using Fluent 2 in Teams: “Our adoption of Fluent 2 was critical for this version of Teams which provides a range of benefits such as improved performance and accessibility. A robust theming system built with design tokens allows us to seamlessly integrate with other products built using Fluent 2 and enables us to make holistic design-language updates in an efficient and systematic way.”
The emergence of powerful no-code platforms like AppMaster has further solidified the need for streamlined design systems like Fluent 2. By focusing on unifying design and integration across products and platforms, Fluent 2 has the potential to simplify the development process and bolster the overall user experience.
