Interactive Demos with unusual interfaces: Microsoft Windows

I recently worked on a project that required me to use my expertise on an unusual new interface. The project involved developing a web application that had a companion feature within Microsoft Windows File Explorer. The File Explorer component was crucial to the success of the project's demonstration.

I really wanted to figure out how to do this without capturing screenshots that I consider subpar since they don't scale well, can't be easily edited and adjusted, and overall leave the best experience to be desired.

I've seen various web apps that are clones of Operating Systems in the past, so I set out to search. Many are out there, but not that many are complete or work beyond just a splash screen.

Luckily, I found win11React: this Open Source project is pretty feature-complete and is written in React, so I was able to easily edit it, and it even supports additional "apps" that are embedded in Chrome iframes.

I was able to install win11react in my own docker image, launch it, and edit the file structures for the File Explorer to achieve my own result.

How does it look once it's all done? Pretty cool: https://all-things-demo.navattic.com/windows-linkedin