eleven-percent

Society at large inevitably goes through varying transformations impacted by technological advancements or shifts in the collective mindset. As such, trends come and go, replaced by iterations that match either consumers’ needs or developers’ visions. Unfortunately, sometimes design decisions prioritize form over function, ultimately impacting the overall user experience in ways that can be ameliorated by programs such as eleven-percent.

Throughout multiple decades, Windows’ design language has been shipping in phases that range from the command-line layout of its earliest versions and the beige theme that matched the PC tower cases of the late 90s to the skeuomorphic design of the community’s beloved XP variant and the sharp corners painted with bold colors of 8’s Metro style, culminating with the rounded and heavily padded look of the latest product.

Among the changes that Windows 11 brought to the table lies the decision to redesign the taskbar from the ground-up and omit certain functions related to its placement, system tray ordering and right-click shortcuts. Despite some improvements, the Quick Settings section still lacks an option to display the precise percentage of the device’s battery power, favoring the aesthetically-pleasing yet impractical dynamic icon that requires clicking or hovering to preview the value.

In order to provide users with the missing functionality, the app at hand summons an unobtrusive battery percentage meter in the form of a straightforward system icon that can be reordered according to your needs.

While the app performs well enough in its current state, switching the OS theme to its dark variant will render its still black text unreadable, thus making it incompatible with those switching their color palette from the default white scheme. However, given its freely available source code, those with programming know-how can create their own dynamically updated iteration.

If your laptop’s battery health has been degrading for a while, and you wish to be mindful of its percentage when traveling to stay in the vicinity of a power outlet, eleven-percent may be the right tool for you, as long as your favorite theme is of a light variant.