Microsoft Download Center (DLC) is a one-stop shop for products available for purchase with some free downloads and products as well. The items that are available as free downloads are linked to detail pages, where you can learn more about them and initiate downloads.
In early 2023, our engineering team started refreshing the DLC that dates back to 2008. The primary goal was to retire the old DLC that was hosted on a legacy content management system. Along the way, we ended up evolving it to a new platform that uses Microsoft’s modern design language, consolidating separate webpages into a single content management system, and enhancing the Customer experience.
As the dedicated UX Designer for the project, I migrated contents and rebuilt the download platform into a streamlined resource hub to resolve the discoverability problems of the initial iteration.
The first obvious challenge here is taking on MWF design language without overloading our platform library with new components and templates. I had to audit the system to make sure our current components can be reused. If not, I’d take any scalable components and build around the download site. I had to collaborate with the engineering team to discover what was possible.
To solve the disappearing key content, we proposed some quick information architecture restructuring:
While conducting use cases with users, my team identified two buckets of priorities:
The DLC was using a different design language and wasn’t consistent with the rest of the Microsoft store site
Customer support (FAQ) content was in a standalone page that wasn’t linked out in any other Store/Download page.
Legacy Windows - Unless you have the most up to date PC, there wasn’t a way for users to navigate to previous versions of Windows from Store pages. So if you were troubleshooting a computer with a Windows 10 and/or before, you would have to google those downloads specifically.
Post-download - After confirming a download, key download detail information such as system requirements, install instructions, and any other related software support disappeared.
After launching, we saw great success! The new design rolled out to 64 global markets, and I’m proud of how the Download Center has evolved. While we were able to refresh the Search/List page, we had to simplify it and remove the filter due to time constraints. This limits users' ability to narrow down their search, which is something I want to address in the future. I also see an opportunity to revamp the category pages, enabling users to actively search for the help they need instead of scrolling through a long list. There’s more to come as we continue improving the platform with the Moray design system!
