The Hive: Innovating Hybrid Meeting Experiences with Microsoft Teams Rooms
There’s considerable excitement surrounding The Hive, Microsoft’s dedicated laboratory for developing and testing new meeting room technology powered by Microsoft Teams Rooms. This excitement is well-founded; within The Hive, Microsoft Digital (MSD), the company’s IT division, crafts cutting-edge meeting experiences that become integral to Microsoft Teams Rooms, the video conferencing solution integrated into Microsoft Teams. The primary goal is to pioneer innovative and inclusive hybrid meeting environments for both Microsoft employees and their Microsoft Teams Rooms customers.
“Our aim is to create innovative, inclusive hybrid meeting experiences for both our employees here at Microsoft and for our Microsoft Teams Rooms customers. What better way to show off what we’re doing than to bring customers into a real, live lab setting.” — Matthew Marzynski, principal product manager, MSD team, The Hive
Initially, The Hive functioned as an internal resource. Within the lab, engineers worked with partners in Global Workplace Services and the Microsoft Teams Product Group to enhance meeting experiences at Microsoft. As remote work became more prevalent, and customer interest in The Hive’s work soared, the decision was made to open the lab to customers.
Immersive Customer Experiences
To this end, The Hive has created a new customer experience, featuring live demonstrations illustrating how Microsoft Teams Rooms functions in diverse settings. These tours act as a “speed dating” session for meeting technology. The team takes a hands-on approach by initiating meetings (complete with simulated bot attendees) across various spaces. This tactic allows customers to experience various room sizes, technologies, and usage scenarios during a single tour. Customers can even invite their remote colleagues to participate, offering additional perspectives on a specific solution.
“We bring customers into The Hive, tour them through, and demonstrate how Microsoft creates cutting-edge meeting experiences in hybrid work environments. And then we share our processes and know-how to help them create their own inclusive hybrid work meeting experiences at their companies.” — Matthew Marzynski
Due to the immense popularity of these tours which far exceed the team’s capacity, the team launched a streaming series called “The Hive Live.” The program features a live, guided tour of the facility for account teams and customers. It also includes a Q&A session with experts. In addition, virtual room tours enable viewers to see how actual Teams Rooms look and feel at Microsoft campuses.
Archetypes and Design Principles
Microsoft Teams Rooms are represented by approximately a dozen different “archetypes,” spanning from a Focus room (for four people) to an executive boardroom (accommodating over 30 people). These archetypes serve as design references, inspiring customers and assisting them in addressing design challenges.
“Internally, we go super-deep with room specifications down to the last cable and screw required in the room. While we do share those, it can be confusing when facing down a hybrid-work transformation challenge. Archetype thinking helps customers get out the weeds and imagine how to scale out a common room experience across a whole real estate portfolio.” — Matthew Marzynski
Ultimately, The Hive team focuses on enabling customers to build their own experiences using Teams Rooms and other Microsoft technologies. This includes a strong understanding of customer needs and pain points. Microsoft learned the importance of creating an inviting, all-inclusive hybrid work setting while controlling expenses. The Hive evaluates its work based on three points of view: capability, collaboration, and cost.
The Signature Teams Room
The Hive created a reimagined meeting room called the Signature Teams Room. Signature is the most advanced iteration of Microsoft Teams Rooms. It facilitates a completely inclusive and collaborative meeting experience for all attendees, regardless of their location. The room uses specialized furniture, displays, cameras, and audio devices, arranged to enhance engagement among attendees. The Signature Teams Room addresses this by including what’s called a “circle of inclusion,” putting remote participants at focal points. The changes make hybrid meetings seem more natural.
“It’s where the engineering of the technology and the design of the furniture and physical environment are fully integrated to create the most hybrid-friendly, inclusive experience possible.” — Matthew Marzynski
All Signature Teams Rooms have the following features:
- In-person and remote attendees face each other
- Camera is at eye level
- Spatial audio matches a person’s voice to their location
- Remote participants have a clear view of everyone in the room
These subtle changes have a significant impact on the meeting experience. Signature Teams Rooms demonstrate to customers how to optimize their spaces for hybrid work, ensuring that all employees can participate in great meetings, no matter where they are located.
“Changes, such as shifting the meeting camera to be in between remote and in-person participants, make hybrid meetings more equitable. Employees are more likely to feel included and valued.” — Margie Strite, product marketing manager, Microsoft Teams
Cost-Effective Solutions
The Hive is also dedicated to resourcefulness, building meeting rooms that provide excellent hybrid meeting experiences while minimizing expenses. Reducing costs is vital since building a new meeting room experience can be as expensive as building a house. The Hive focuses on creating individualized solutions to find the best experience possible for all members involved. For example, a modular solution can cut costs on a multi-purpose room refresh at Microsoft by 75 percent as compared to the process’ traditions.
“At The Hive, we aim to design experiences that are as easy to deploy as possible. We’re introducing new features and innovations with our internal product teams and key industry partners to create a playbook that enhances meeting experiences across all of our room archetypes—while driving down cost and complexity.” — Sam Albert, principal product manager at The Hive
“We designed the modular solution so that in-person presenters and remote participants can all view raised hands, the person speaking, and the content being presented. We wanted employees to feel heard, seen, and valued with this solution.” — Danielle Chelles-Blair, senior designer, MSD
Microsoft employees are working hard to further build more engaging meeting experiences at The Hive. One of the benefits of turning to The Hive is the reduced trial-and-error needed to find the correct solutions. This can be a big benefit to other organizations, saving resources and time.
