Microsoft has shifted from the concept of hybrid work to flexible work. Instead of a fixed formula of X days in the office and Y days working remotely equaling one hybrid week, we now embrace a more fluid and adaptable model, tailored to individual and team productivity. Despite this shift, most meetings still follow the traditional hybrid format, with a mix of in-person and remote participants.
Recognizing the need to enhance hybrid meeting experiences for our flexible workforce, the Microsoft Teams product group and Microsoft’s internal IT organization partnered to address this challenge. Through prototyping, experimentation, and a focus on real-world hybrid scenarios, Signature Microsoft Teams Rooms were developed, offering a new, innovative approach to designing hybrid-optimized spaces.
“It’s been quite the journey over the last few years. We’re very much in a hybrid world,” says Keshav Puttaswamy, Partner Director of Product Management with Microsoft Digital Employee Experience (MDEE), the company’s internal IT organization. “Flexibility is a top priority for us. We want to ensure our employees can perform their best work, regardless of location.”
“Signature Microsoft Teams Rooms are a powerful tool that allows us to embrace this hybrid experience fully,” Puttaswamy adds.
Striking the Perfect Balance
The development of Signature Teams Rooms was based on the goal of creating a more inclusive experience for everyone in a hybrid meeting.
“We’re all used to seeing a room with a rectangular table in the center and a screen at one end,” says Keshav Puttaswamy, Partner Director of Product Management with Microsoft Digital Employee Experience (MDEE). “With hybrid work, we’re seeing new needs emerge for employees, and traditional meeting rooms aren’t necessarily the best fit for all types of meetings.”
In traditional meeting spaces, in-room participants can connect easily, but remote attendees might miss the subtle nuances of facial expressions and body language. Similarly, those physically present may focus more on the people around the table, unintentionally excluding remote participants. A hybrid space needs to serve both in-person and remote attendees equally.
“When I think about Signature Microsoft Teams Rooms, I think about creating the workplace that our employees truly want to be in,” says Matt Hempey, Principal Group Product Manager for engagement and collaboration in MDEE. “Since much of our work happens in meetings, why shouldn’t we rethink the spaces where we spend so much of our time?”
Signature Microsoft Teams Rooms are thoughtfully designed with a combination of displays, cameras, audio devices, and specialized furniture to enhance the hybrid meeting experience for all participants, regardless of their location.
The room layout ensures that all attendees, whether in-person or remote, can face one another. The Front Row display option in Teams Rooms places remote attendees front and center, at eye level with those in the room.
With 21:9 aspect ratio displays, there is ample screen space to display content, remote attendees, and chat simultaneously — what we call “the meeting within the meeting.” This setup allows in-person participants to follow the chat without needing to shift their focus to their individual PC screens.
“In a meeting room, body language cues signal when you want to speak. You’ll lean into the table, and everyone around you knows you want to say something,” says Greg Baribault, Head of Product for Microsoft Teams Rooms. “The layout of a Signature Teams Room is designed to extend that intuitive communication to remote participants as well.”
Virtual participants benefit from AI-powered intelligent cameras in the room. Rather than a single camera capturing a large room with indistinguishable faces, these AI cameras can identify individuals in the room and display them separately to remote attendees. Meanwhile, in-person participants who join the meeting via their companion device won’t see their own image on the room’s display, eliminating that distraction. The experience is somewhat personalized, adapting to how each person is joining the meeting.
“Some of these features are driven by the Microsoft Teams platform,” says Sam Albert, Principal Product Manager for conference room experiences at MDEE. “Features like spatial audio with Front Row make it feel as though remote participants are right in the room with you, with sound coming from the direction of the speaker.” This technology also highlights speakers' names and identifies them in transcripts.
Enhancing the Experience for Everyone
Deploying Signature Teams Rooms in new construction projects makes sense. “From a new construction perspective, building a Signature Teams Room is no more expensive or complicated than constructing any other meeting room,” says Matt Hempey.
For existing spaces, simple updates like new furniture or minor room adjustments can significantly enhance the hybrid experience. “We’re very intentional about what we can do with existing rooms, finding creative ways to extend the benefits of Signature Microsoft Teams Rooms to everyone,” says Keshav Puttaswamy. “Even adding a new table shaped like a guitar pick or gumdrop can help in-room attendees face remote participants without the need for expensive changes to lighting or heavy construction.”
Design principles and guidelines for both traditional and Signature Teams Rooms are accessible to all.
“We aim to make it as easy as possible for our customers to implement these experiences on their campuses,” says Sam Albert. “The technology we’re deploying in our conference rooms today uses Microsoft Teams-certified devices that have been rigorously tested. We work closely with our hardware partners to provide flexibility in choosing components.”
As the workplace continues to evolve, flexible work now encompasses a diverse range of employee experiences. Whether through Signature Teams Rooms or traditional Teams Rooms, Microsoft remains committed to delivering a workplace that meets the needs of its employees. This includes building the tools to improve hybrid meeting experiences and fostering the connections that drive business success.
Learn more here.