Over the coming months, Microsoft will begin rolling out changes to the interface of Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint for Office 365 and Office Online (Office.com) users.
Microsoft has announced the redesign mid-June with the goal of enhancing user experience, boost work collaboration and simplifying tasks – following on the footsteps of Google and Apple’s recent app makeovers.
The main changes users can expect from the Office 365 makeover include an updated ribbon, icon refreshes, an enhanced searched function, and “coming soon” features to view changes coming to the Office suite.
Simplified Ribbon
The simplified version of the Office ribbon – currently rolling out for select Word online users – will allow users to perform tasks in a simplified view that takes less space and hides many options, minimising unnecessary distractions and further increasing productivity. The simplified design is set to be also available in Outlook from July.
New Colours and Icons
Microsoft is adding new colours and icons to the Office suite to both modernise the user experience and make it more inclusive, crisp and accessible on screens and devices of any sizes. These changes will be again phased starting with the web version of Word, to the Windows suite – Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and Outlook in July.
Search
The Office 365 redesign will be boosting the functionality of the search toolbar to provide better access to commands, content, and people. The addition of the ‘zero query search’ will allow Office 365 users to bring up suggestions powered by AI and the Microsoft Graph by simply placing the cursor in the search box.
Read more about the new Office 365 experience on Microsoft’s blog here.
Office 365 integrates cloud, mobile, and social technology solutions to make your business more collaborative and productive.
