Our process for designing mice
Most computers that are sold today are laptops. One can argue that since a laptop comes out of its box ready to use, complete with keyboard and touch pad, there’s no need for a separate mouse.
However, the reason why millions of mice continue to be purchased is that they help create and consume digital content faster and in a more precise way. In addition, people appreciate the various differences in performance and comfort that a mouse provides.
With nearly a 30-year history in designing and creating mice, Microsoft Hardware has a tremendous amount of knowhow on how to engineer the best ergonomics and tracking technology. The advantage of designing hardware at Microsoft is that we go deep in research; when I first started here I was blown away by how much research goes into the development of every product. The products we create reflect this attention to every detail.
So how do we design a mouse?
Our design process starts with a team of designers, researchers and engineers thinking and designing together – for anything from mice, to keyboards, to video and audio communication equipment and more. The first step towards a product usually comes from understanding the larger space our brand and business wants to be in. Understanding the opportunity space is where the product development process starts.
Once we have defined a space and see the opportunity for a new product we try to understand its essence and spend about 6 – 8 weeks in the model shop prototyping ideas in form and function. On a new design it is typical to end up with sixty to eighty models showing form and function, each slightly different from another to test and try until we are happy. Here we also explore better ergonomics, new materials and interactions and evolve our design approach.
As a team, we probably spend as much time debating our ideas as we spend drawing, building and sculpting. Design critiques are probably the most important aspect of our process. We make sure we have everyone’s input and expertise is incorporated into the product we design. Our design reviews don’t have a boss who says what needs to happen. We just have passionate, very talented people who deeply care about their craft.
As the project progresses, it becomes much clearer what we need to accomplish. We often review our product ideas with a selected group of users to see how a product would do in their environment. Our researchers, designers and product managers travel around the world to spend time with users in very different markets to understand the different needs and aesthetic preferences. We also work with trend agencies to understand regional trends on a global scale in order to develop a color and graphics palette that works globally.
During the whole process, we make countless models and prototyping materials to capture different aesthetic expressions and functionalities.
All individual products we design need to come back into the brand as the next member of our product family. They need to be consistent with the overall Microsoft Hardware brand and user experience that consumers have come to trust. It’s something larger than a single product because everything we do is to enable and enhance the Microsoft software experience for our customers. While compatible with many computers and software, our products are developed with optimization for Microsoft software and services. This is the same goal we had with our very first mouse, introducing the Windows operating system, and it is still our top priority today.
!r
to me, it’s much easier to control the mouse grasping it at the base. the wireless 8000 accommodates this in its design. so many of your other mice have the indentations on the side, in the middle, so controlling the mouse is very uncomfortable, like the explorer bluetrack mouse and others.
Grasp the bluetrack mouse where you think it should be and try to pick it up. It almost slips out of your hand. Why? Because it’s not in a good position and the sides are slippery. please get rid of the base ridge around the bottom of the mouse so more people have a comfort level with the grip and are able to grip the mouse where “we” want to instead of where “you” think we should.
5:43 pm gary
I happened to see a Natural Mouse at display at staples last week. And it was the best shape I have ever laid my hands on. I thought to myself that the only way an ergonomic mouse can improve upon that design would have to come from a mold-able material that adjust to the shape of the individual hands. But for me, the natural mouse is perfect, that is, assuming everything else is of an OKayish quality. Arriving home later that day, I immediately went to do my homework. Being a gamer, the wireless mouse is naturally less appealing than a wired one, and reviews also point out to problems with the tracking ability of the sensor.
I know Microsoft had always made great gaming mice, hopefully there will be gaming-grade natural mouse on the market soon.
8:58 pm Michael
this is an interesting article on how to design a mouse
2:32 pm www.infopediaonline.com
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9:45 pm SVHouse
@gary Thanks for the feedback. We’ll be sure to pass this on to our design team.
@Michael We’re glad to hear that you found the feel of the Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 to be near perfection! Have you tried any of the SideWinder mice for your gaming? That might be something worth looking into. That being said, our team tries to make sure that all of the mice we develop are comfortable regardless of what they are used for.
11:04 am Stu
I have tried the bluetooh 5000 and the mouse of the comfort curve 2000 kit. I find that mouse wheel is poor. The former has it too deep inside and very unconfortable for tab browsing as well as for scrolling. The latter was just poorly sensitive, so the scroll of the page was not finely controllable.
2:59 pm ricardo
Met with Dr Dan Odell this morning and he brought 3 mouse prototype models (similar to the picture above). It’s really cool :)
And I’m also glad to know how many months and resources are given to test and refine the models before they are being released to the shelves!
7:28 pm Michael Aulia @CravingTech.com
@Michael Aulia – Very cool that you got to check out some prototype models up close! Definitely agree that level of research, testing and refinement of the devices is impressive.
10:11 am Stu
So, if the microsfot hardware development team isn’t too busy right now and you guys say “The products we create reflect this attention to every detail.” could you do somthing about the sidewinder dual strike windows 7 compatibility? these controllers are the greatest thing MShardware has come out with and it wont work with Win7! what the heck?
7:42 am Stu Morrrison