Microsoft’s Zune 2.0 Multimedia Players are a family of portable media delivery devices with unique focus on social interchange. Microsoft asked MOTO to partner to transform the navigation ability of the original Zune into an industry leader that could compete in the monolithic media player marketplace. The challenge was to improve upon click-wheel navigation of long lists and encourage serendipitous discovery, while maintaining and building upon the original Zune interface.

The team’s touchpad UI design adds effortless navigation onto the existing, surefooted Zune experience by incorporating layered technologies, natural gestures and intuitive physical models which make learning Zune easy and fun. Mastery takes only a few minutes, with navigation performance improving dramatically over time. The team was responsible for concept, prototyping, feasibility, test, detailed development, and oversight through manufacturing.

“Music-player companies have struggled for years to come up with a controller as good as the iPod’s click wheel; Microsoft, in Zune 2.0, has finally done it,“ David Pogue, New York Times.