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| Microsoft Teams adds new features for easier meetings |
Microsoft recently announced its vision for the future of the Microsoft Teams conference and is now looking to make some of them a reality this year.
The new design is called Front Row and includes ways to fill the mixed work gap between people already attending the meeting and remote participants.
Many companies are beginning to reopen their offices and switch to a mixed workforce. Microsoft is adding a number of new features to its Microsoft Teams platform to make it easier for colleagues to connect in the office or at home.
The front row layout also displays meeting information such as the calendar, tasks, notes, and discussions for people to use on the go and in the office.
Other new video layouts aim to increase screen space by splitting the video library across all available screens when the screen is not split so that more remote participants can be seen in the room.
Microsoft Excellence added new features:
Jared Spataro, President of Microsoft 365, stated that this new layout visually moves the video library to the bottom of the screen. In the room, participants could see distant colleagues face to face on a horizontal surface as if they were in the same room.
He added: Microsoft is using its new Fluid component to do this layout. Content like calendar, tasks, and notes are collaborated and updated in real time. The meeting chat will be clearly visible in this view so that everyone can participate in the meeting equally.
In addition to this new view, Microsoft is also adapting the handling of video calls in Microsoft Teams.
The new video layout for Microsoft Teams uses more screen space than screens typically found in meeting rooms. This makes distant participants more visible.
Microsoft Teams has also undergone a similar overhaul via the Surface Hub. A new meeting board with chat balloons, real-time feedback, and all the latest Microsoft Teams features will be previewed for Surface Hub owners later this month.
Microsoft Teams has also updated the new whiteboard design launched this summer.