Nice touches on live messenger

I just got around installing the latest msn live messenger 8.5.

Some things that really appeased my subconscious..

In the earlier versions of messenger, it used to be both an optical and ergonomic challenge to click on the close button. It looked nice and all that, but was super hard to point to and click. A prime example of a good-looking UI at the cost of better UX.

The new button is wider, has a large hotspot, and is bright red when hovered upon.

The other options(minimize and maximize) have a blue hue on hover signifying a less destructive action.

Subtle touches go a long way in creating an intuitive user model.

Easier way to start a IM conversation...

On an average I double click the "little blue person" in the system tray to open the Messenger window to select a contact to start chat.




Would it not be nice is a single click opens up a "search contact" bubble? Once I type the initial few letters of the contact, the dialog box can "unfold" to show matching results.

It would save me 60 double clicks and 60 single clicks (remember, you always end up closing the main messenger window)