An article by Mr. "Jin Cuodao", many thanks!
The other day, I had a chat with the designers from Microsoft Engineering Design Center. Unlike Microsoft Research Institute which focuses more on future-oriented designs, the Engineering Institute is more about current product design, and the design philosophy it reflects is more representative of the present. Since Microsoft has been impacted by experts like GOOGLE and Apple in user interface design, Microsoft now also elevates user interface design to a strategic level internally. When it comes to Google's UI design, the first word that comes to mind is "simplicity". What about Microsoft? A designer told me one word: usability.
I found that when those traditional giants talk about design, they tend to favor one term: easy-to-use, while those emerging brands would focus on a more breakthrough aspect.