Microsoft Teams is one of the most popular collaboration and communication apps used by organizations around the world. I recently had the chance to explore the redesigned version of Teams and wanted to share my impressions of the updated user interface and new features.
Overview of the Redesigned Microsoft Teams App
The redesigned Teams app introduces some visual changes while also adding new capabilities. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s new:
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Updated user interface – The overall look and feel of Teams has been refreshed with new icons, fonts, and colors. The changes provide a more modern and visually appealing experience.
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New sidebar – The sidebar has been redesigned to simplify navigation between teams, chats, meetings, and apps. Frequent contacts and apps are now more accessible.
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Enhanced search – Search now provides more relevant results. Users can search for messages, people, files, and more across teams and chats.
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Improved meetings – Meetings include new intuitive controls, better video layouts, and options for customizing backgrounds. Real-time captions and live reactions also improve the meeting experience.
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Enhanced tasks app – The new tasks app enables users to create task lists, assign tasks, set due dates, and more. The tasks app syncs across Teams and To Do.
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Additional apps – Organizations can now add new apps to Teams to further customize it for their needs. Apps for project management, sales, HR, and other functions expand Teams capabilities.
My Thoughts on the Redesigned Interface
Overall, I found the visual refresh of the Teams interface to be an improvement. The updated icons, fonts, and colors give it a more modern, inviting look while still maintaining familiarity for existing users.
Some of the specific changes I liked include:
- The new sidebar which makes it easier to switch between teams, chats, meetings, and apps. Frequent contacts and apps are now just a click away.
- The cleaner meeting interface with more intuitive controls and commands. I also appreciate the improved video layouts and background customization options.
- The use of bold fonts and color to highlight important elements like mentions and pinned messages. This makes these items stand out more.
The interface feels less cluttered overall while still providing easy access to key functions. The changes help streamline the experience without oversimplifying.
Benefits of the New and Enhanced Features
In addition to the visual refresh, some of the most beneficial updates are the new features like enhanced search and tasks:
- Improved search is a big enhancement. Being able to quickly find messages, people, files, and other content across Teams is extremely helpful. Search now feels much more powerful.
- The new tasks app also provides a lot of value. Having integrated task management capabilities right within Teams improves productivity by enabling users to easily create and assign tasks without switching apps.
- Access to more apps gives organizations flexibility to customize Teams with apps tailored to their needs. Apps for project management, HR, sales and so on can help streamline workflows.
- Real-time captions improve meeting accessibility and inclusiveness. Captions make meetings easier to follow for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Overall, the new features solve some of the biggest pain points users faced with the previous version of Teams. The added functionality makes collaboration and communication within Teams more robust and valuable.
Bottom Line
After spending some time with the updated Microsoft Teams app, I’m impressed with both the visual refresh and expanded features. The redesign provides a more modern, visually appealing interface while introducing capabilities that improve navigation, search, meetings, and task management.
There is now less friction when switching between teams, chats, apps, and meetings. Key functions are easier to access. For organizations relying on Teams for collaboration, the redesigned app should help boost team productivity and streamline workflows. The improvements solidify Microsoft Teams as a leader in the competitive workstream collaboration space.
