In Windows Phone 7, there was a right-hand side margin of pure blank space. This caused the home-screen tiles to flow into a skinny column, which directed the eye to the content immediately. In Windows Phone 8, the tiles now fill the entire width of the screen. As a result, I think Microsoft has made the experience feel much more busy and cluttered than it should.
I’m not sure which part of the screen to focus on first. For the general consumer, I can easily see them being overwhelmed by the new look. There is simply too much onscreen at once, with no organisation of any kind.
It feels more like an aeroplane cockpit than a refined dashboard of applications.