I spent 10 DAYS redesigning Visual Studio Code... | Speed UI Design

UPDATE! Looks like since I uploaded this, VSCode actually updated their landing page....and it looks surprisingly similar to my recommendations. Coincidence? You decide...

Visual Studio Code and Visual Studio is two different product

The main factor that drives people to use vscode is not copilot, it's the lightweight feeling alongside the tools it has. You can install copilot on pretty much any IDE. The deal with VsCode is that you choose which tools you want to get by installing plugins unlike most code editors that bloat you with tons of tools dedicated to a specific project. Its also fast which makes it great for quickly editing files

A lot of people in the business con artist don't understand one simple thing, when a product works, no one gives a shit how the website looks. It's only when you sell snake oil when looks actually matter. To be honest i don't really like the redesign for vscode, but the website was amazing, great job there. Most vscode users remove 90% of the interface anyway, anyone that uses is professionally just strips it down to it's bare-bone editor and plugin.

I really hope microsoft don't take any ideas for the editor. The good thing about VScode is that it is very light in UI and doesn't look busy like an IDE does. The "profile" and options part is barely ever used and wastes precious vertical space. The way it is right now doesn't waste space at all, it sits in an unused part of the UI (bottom part of the sidebar). The project bar also wastes precious vertical space, switching project is a very rare event, the "project dashboard" extension does it much better, which is an icon in the side bar. Things that switch your context (from code editor to file tree, from code editor to project list, from code editor to settings) all belong in the side bar, as to waste as little space as possible. The main element where you're gonna spend 90% of the time is the editor, it should be as big as possible. The other main part is the terminal, which under the redesign would see its space halved. Very rarely you want to see "problems" and the terminal at the same time, it makes little sense for them to share space. The way it is right now, where you choose either "problems" or "terminal" makes it so you focus either one of them, and when they are focused they use a big part of the UI.

For rhe website logo, I would keep Visual Studio Code anyway as Visual Studio is a total different product. Other thing very important on the app redesign side is the status bar. Even though putting the git branch above looks great at first look, but then it needs also to include all the git commands as menus. Looks good, but not that functional. Really like the website with that dark mode theme. I would keep a toogle to stay inclusive as some people also have hard times while reading on dark themes. Great job.

"Devs like me are staring at a screen all day, we can't afford to flashbang them with a white screen" - Proceeds to flashbang the entire audience with a whitescreen

You need to call it visual studio code becuase microsoft already have visual studio

VSCode has been the most used editor since way before Co-Pilot. Co-Pilot isn't their main selling feature. It's the lightweight and fast nature of it with best in class support for most languages. It just feels like an IDE without being bulky.. it has good extension support, you add support for new languages yourself like if you create a new language yourself. The built-in Git UI is pretty great. It just has everything. Mostly better than other editors for humans (let me exclude vim so people don't bash me)

one thing you get wrong is 11:00 Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code is a different product. Visual Studio is a more full-fledged IDE, which is used mostly for development of C# and C++ programs on Windows. VS Code, however, is much lighter and flexible. I can see why you would get this mixed up since Visual Studio's logo is very similar to that of VS Code (instead of a cut-off ribbon, it is completed, and the color is purple instead of blue).

I would love a VSCode theme that looks like your redesign! I NEED IT!!!

great lighting! you've come a long way, sir

I like this UI of vscode, I would like to have it the way it showed in this video

Awesome ❤ Loved the changes

I really like the workspace folders you put on the top, it feels better to work with multiple projects in a single window.

INSANE. ABSOLUTELY AWESOME.

And now I NEED THIS!!!

Great Work man appreciated

So satisfying to see your videos reaching a wider audience! Great insights on design choices yet again!

this is the complete opposite of the redesign I would make but it still looks good and has a lot of features. I just think that most developers look for code editors with less menus and a clean look which isn't this. I currently hide everything except files and code view in VSCode if I want to access something that is hidden I do it through a toggle like CTRL+Shift+X for extensions.