What I learned from a year of fostering a virtual design community By Katie Garrison A good design culture can make you feel productive. A great design culture can make you feel a sense of belonging at work. It attracts new, creative talent and has huge effects on employee retention…

The design thinking behind a new website building experience By Tracy Jones No matter the industry, every big business or enterprise is now a digital company. However, organizations face a shortage of professional developers while looking at a pipeline of millions of digital solutions that still need to be created…

How a Principal Design Researcher is bridging the digital divide By Tracy Jones “I don’t usually start conversations or relationships talking about the bench or being a judge,” said Adoley Azu. Once people find out that she was a judge, they become guarded around her. “They always want to be…

Amina Hassan Said Islam, a UX researcher, sits down to talk with her colleague Harrison Maina to discuss her journey in UX research so far in Nairobi, Kenya By Microsoft Design As a global collective, over one-third of the Microsoft Design community resides outside of our United States headquarters. With…

How psychology, semiotics, and dazzling imagery are converging to improve the future of hybrid work By Angela N. Bradley Physical spaces have the potential to evoke different moods and actions, whether you’re inspired by the buzzy atmosphere of a coffee shop, energized by nature in a sun-kissed setting, or calmed…

Collaborating with Alcantara to integrate renewable materials into Surface Pro Signature Keyboard By Tracy Jones When Microsoft launched a moonshot goal for Sustainability in 2030, the Surface design team began working cross-functionally to envision what supporting steps they could take in the short, medium, and long term. Closest on the…

A multi-year design journey to rearchitect Teams from the ground up — By Thad Scott and Colin Day Today marks the debut of the new Microsoft Teams app, released in public preview for Windows customers. As one of our most customer and design-driven releases ever, it’s crafted from the ground up to be faster, simpler, and more flexible. It also reflects a…

The design thinking and user research that turned into Microsoft Loop By Rachel Romano and John Roach Try the Loop app now: Microsoft Loop “Paradigm shift,” “revolutionize the future of,” and “sea change” are terms often heard in technology circles. Currently, this chorus is focused on innovation driven by large…

Karthi Subbaraman, a Design Group Experience Manager, sits down to talk with her colleague Rachel Romano to reflect on her journey in product making for Women’s History Month By Rachel Romano In celebration of Women’s History Month, we’re sharing stories from our women-identifying Microsoft Design community in India. We’re delighted…