In Unity's panel, the top left corner is now always used to close whatever has the focus, and window controls remain there even when a window is maximized, Shuttleworth noted.

Meanwhile, invocation of the Dash has now been integrated into the Launcher, he added.

"Observations during user testing showed people as more inclined to try clicking on items in the Launcher than on the top left icon in the panel, unless that icon was something explicit like a close button for the window," Shuttleworth explained. "Evidence based design rules."

3. Aesthetics

Content will be presented more dramatically in the new Unity, thanks to the introduction of a "wash" based on the desktop color and the integration of holographic effects, Shuttleworth said.