{"id":8179,"date":"2022-06-16T15:39:35","date_gmt":"2022-06-16T22:39:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/insidetrack\/blog\/?p=8179"},"modified":"2023-06-08T12:56:05","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T19:56:05","slug":"shaping-microsofts-new-campus-of-the-future-with-user-centric-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/insidetrack\/blog\/shaping-microsofts-new-campus-of-the-future-with-user-centric-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Shaping Microsoft\u2019s new campus of the future with user-centric design"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
<\/div>\n

This content has been archived, and while it was correct at time of publication, it may no longer be accurate or reflect the current situation at Microsoft.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"MicrosoftThose planning a visit to Microsoft\u2019s transformed campus in Redmond, Washington, will witness the early stages of a seamless employee and guest experience, one made possible thanks to user-centric design.<\/p>\n

This Design philosophy puts the user\u2014an employee or a guest\u2014at the heart of every decision and aligns all the facility\u2019s services\u2014physical and digital\u2014to the needs of people. With this approach, seemingly mundane events and tasks that might normally cause friction in a person\u2019s day are smoothed out as much as possible.<\/p>\n

How are we doing this?<\/p>\n

By turning the broad and diverse array of microtasks\u2014the numerous operations of varying effort that allow you to accomplish the larger and more impactful parts of your job\u2014into a consistent and logical end-to-end experience.<\/p>\n

With us moving to a new campus, there\u2019s a way to make it more connected, consistent, and accessible. By being user-centric, we allow campus to work for the user rather than the user having to work around the campus. People can be efficient and do the things they need to do.<\/p>\n

\u2014Dave Crawford, director of product design, Microsoft Digital Employee Experience<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This new experience is taking shape at Microsoft\u2019s transformed 72-acre east campus, which, when it opens in late calendar year 2023, will feature 17 new buildings, a 2.8 million square foot underground parking garage, and three athletic fields. At this major new part of our headquarters, we will employ user-centric design to smartly connect the normally disconnected services a person uses to get through a typical day. By doing this, we\u2019re transforming mundane tasks into experiences that will make it worth a trip to the new campus.<\/p>\n

[Learn about Microsoft\u2019s upgraded transportation experience in Puget Sound<\/a>. Find out how Microsoft\u2019s dining transformation is easing its employees transition back working in the office.<\/a> Explore how Microsoft is reinventing employee experience for a hybrid world<\/a>. Discover how Microsoft\u2019s campus enables navigation with new IoT technology and indoor mapping<\/a>.]<\/em><\/p>\n

Making our day seamless<\/h2>\n

Our daily lives are filled with microtasks, including getting to work, finding a parking spot, tracking down a meeting across campus, and ordering lunch. All of these tasks seem menial, but they\u2019re still a necessary part of your day.<\/p>\n

And it all adds up, which is why we took a different approach for our latest project.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith us moving to a new campus, there\u2019s a way to make it more connected, consistent, and accessible,\u201d says Dave Crawford, director of product design with Microsoft Digital Employee Experience, the organization that powers, protects, and transforms the company. \u201cBy being user-centric, we allow campus to work for the user rather than the user having to work around the campus. People can be efficient and do the things they need to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Microtasks are often filled with pain points, little headaches that require a tad more brain power than we\u2019d like to expend. For example, you may have one system to buy lunch, a different one to locate a meeting room, and a third for reserving a Microsoft Connector bus that gets you from home to the office and back.<\/p>\n

This myriad of services can become a bit much, especially for new employees or visitors.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt used to be \u2018Take a building, fill it with nice things, and people will figure it out,\u2019\u201d Crawford says. \u201cThat\u2019s not how it works anymore. Mobile consumer apps have made our personal lives much easier\u2014be that finding a ride, navigating the world, or ordering food. We expect that kind of convenience and simplicity at work now as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rather than leverage disconnected systems, user-centric design tries to reduce the burden by introducing consistent and logical flow between services. This makes it easier for people to access services, learn how to use them, and then actually put them to good use.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re not focused on one tool; we\u2019re looking at the overall experience. What should we adjust to make the whole day better overall? Not just one part. We found problems at all the different tasks that lead to an effective day.<\/p>\n

\u2014Greg Saul, UX designer, Microsoft Digital Employee Experience<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s the same reason why Microsoft embraces coherent design across its products, where a similar look and feel, along with familiar usage patterns, empowers quick adoption. User-centric design enabled Microsoft to look at the journey a person takes as they travel to and across a Microsoft campus then apply the same coherent design principles. The end result was consistencies among different systems, including interfaces with enough in common to make campus services easy to learn and use.<\/p>\n

But user-centric design also means building out new backend experiences to support these services.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are so many scenarios and surfaces to account for; we have to maintain a realistic vision,\u201d Crawford says. \u201cIt\u2019s not as simple as an app with a list of dishes, we need to consider the entire end-to-end experience, from the backend to enter the menu data, to browsing and showcasing, all the way to payment. We have the technology, but we also have to make it approachable and usable.\u201d<\/p>\n

What an end-to-end experience looks like<\/h2>\n

Elevating a visit to Microsoft\u2019s new campus means giving people fast, efficient, and seamless experiences. This includes apps for mobile, kiosks decked out with core experiences, and websites, all with the same functionality, interface, and services.<\/p>\n

We will have a 6,500-stall underground parking garage with 17 buildings above it. The space is so big and there\u2019s no line of sight, so you\u2019ll need to use digital tools to find your car or to make sure you come up to the surface at the right location.<\/p>\n

\u2014Paul Egger, regional digital transformation lead, Microsoft Real Estate and Facilities<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not focused on one tool; we\u2019re looking at the overall experience,\u201d says Greg Saul, a UX designer with Microsoft Digital Employee Experience. \u201cWhat should we adjust to make the whole day better overall? Not just one part. We found problems at all the different tasks that lead to an effective day.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team initially conducted extensive global research on the journeys employees take throughout their workday, which revealed areas of the employee experience within our physical buildings that could be greatly improved and enhanced by overlaying digital elements.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe conducted a series of studies leveraging many, many research methodologies\u2014these ranged from focus groups, diary studies, surveys, and interviews with hundreds of employees across the globe,\u201d says Ashley Graham, director of user research with Microsoft Digital Employee Experience. \u201cOur research showcased numerous ways we could improve our employees\u2019 daily journeys in the workplace through digital tools that could be integrated in services and buildings that our employees and visitors use.\u201d<\/p>\n

This research then enabled the team to assemble a roadmap to ensure employees and visitors can achieve their goals when they visit our campus. That roadmap is a prioritized list of everything that an employee or guest is going to engage with, in order to take care of the things they came to the campus to do.<\/p>\n

And the roadmap starts with a user\u2019s trip to campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will have a 6,500-stall underground parking garage with 17 buildings above it,\u201d says Paul Egger, a regional digital transformation lead with Microsoft Real Estate and Facilities, the organization responsible for managing and operating the buildings and services across Microsoft. \u201cThe space is so big and there\u2019s no line of sight, so you\u2019ll need to use digital tools to find your car or to make sure you come up to the surface at the right location.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019re all used to using apps for mobility and food. We want that for Microsoft employees as well. We want a shared experience that can be leveraged across different campuses without having to re-learn the UI.<\/p>\n

\u2014Suma Uppuluri, principal group engineering manager, Microsoft Digital Employee Experience<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Sensors will keep track of stall availability on each floor, directing users to open spots. Once you\u2019re parked, an app on your phone will know where your car is. In the future, the mobile app will integrate with your Outlook calendar to locate the best area for parking relative to where you\u2019re trying to go.<\/p>\n

For those who take Connectors and shuttles into the office or to move around our campuses, new systems for booking trips to and around campus have been deployed. This new ride reservation system will have the consistent look and feel of other services and can be accessed from a variety of endpoints, including kiosks in every lobby. Digital signage alerts riders of the next arriving vehicle, which takes the confusion and stress out of getting around campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all used to using apps for mobility and food,\u201d says Suma Uppuluri, a principal group engineering manager responsible for movement and wellness with Microsoft Digital Employee Experience. \u201cWe want that for Microsoft employees as well. We want a shared experience that can be leveraged across different campuses without having to re-learn the UI.\u201d<\/p>\n

And once you\u2019re on campus, how do you know where to go?<\/p>\n

In the past, the campus might have felt like a maze of numbered buildings that must be navigated by signage alone. It was a common source of stress and a wasted use of energy.<\/p>\n

Pathfinding across Microsoft\u2019s new campus will also be part of this seamless user-centric design experience, where mobile apps and kiosks can direct you where to go, inform you if the person you\u2019re meeting with has arrived, and help guests check in on their own.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they\u2019re late, you can\u2019t start the meeting,\u201d Saul says. \u201cIf every meeting is delayed ten minutes, it\u2019s harder for anyone to get anything done.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, as the team is designing these apps and kiosks, it collects feedback from employees along the way. Design and product management partner closely with user research to test and evaluate early-stage prototypes and concepts with employees to further refine them and help ensure a usable and useful campus experience is delivered.<\/p>\n

User-centric design touches upon every aspect of a person\u2019s day. Meals can be ordered ahead so that they\u2019re ready when you are, workspaces can be easily booked, and when you\u2019re done for the day, the same systems that got you to campus will help you get home.<\/p>\n

A seamless future at Microsoft<\/h2>\n

Transforming a variety of services into a seamless end-to-end experience meant bringing together stakeholders from across Microsoft to align on a single mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about all the teams building a vision together and creating a connected experience,\u201d Saul says. Approaching this as one team is helping us solve the user\u2019s problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

These new implementations will also make life better for the people who own and operate the services. The reduced occupancy on campus due to the pandemic and flexible hybrid work environment gave Microsoft an opportunity to rethink the technology and bring in new efficiencies.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re returning to the office from a fully digital remote experience,\u201d Uppuluri says. \u201cEveryone is looking to see how our new hybrid work experience will match up too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Early on, the results are good. \u201cWhat we\u2019re working toward is a best-in-class workplace that takes the best elements of working remotely and working in the office,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Every day, new experiences that improve campus life are being deployed across Microsoft that empower employees to do more while reducing the burden of microtasks that they have to complete.<\/p>\n

This will be one of the reasons people choose hybrid over fully remote.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should like being at Microsoft,\u201d Egger says. \u201cWe should take the pressure and thought of being here away so that you can focus on the things you want to.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Microsoft moves forward, user-centric design choices made on the new campus will be deployed at other campuses, allowing Microsoft to scale great experiences for employees and visitors everywhere.<\/p>\n

\"Key<\/p>\n