microsoft-teams

How to build interactive experiences with canvases (opens in new tab)

Canvases extend GitHub Copilot beyond text-based conversations by providing shared, interactive workspaces where developers and agents can visualize information and take action together. They are useful for tasks such as triaging issues, exploring code architecture, managing worktrees, and searching organizational knowledge. The article concludes that canvases make AI workflows more engaging, practical, and easier to iterate on. ## How canvases work - Canvas extensions are interactive surfaces within the GitHub Copilot app. - Agents can update the canvas while users interact through clicks, edits, swipes, and other controls. - User actions may be sent back to the agent or handled locally. - Developers create one by running `/create-canvas` in a Copilot agent session and describing the desired interface and capabilities. - Canvases can evolve through follow-up prompts that add features or refine existing behavior. ## Visual issue triage - A card-based interface displays GitHub Issues one at a time. - Users swipe right to ship an issue or left to reject it. - The canvas updates immediately, organizing issues into decision-based categories. - This replaces a slower, text-heavy review process with direct visual interaction. ## Interactive codebase diagrams - A generated diagram represents components of a project as connected nodes. - Users can hover over, drag, and filter elements to explore relationships and architectural layers. - The interface turns static codebase documentation into an explorable model. ## Managing sessions and worktrees - A canvas can display active GitHub Copilot sessions and their associated Git worktrees. - It distinguishes active, stale, and orphaned worktrees. - Cleanup actions are available directly from the interface, reducing manual maintenance. ## Improving agent prompts - The prompt coach reviews previous agent interactions. - It identifies issues such as unclear context, spelling mistakes, and syntax problems. - It suggests ways to make prompts more precise and improve future agent results. ## Finding organizational knowledge - A knowledge finder can search sources such as Slack, Teams, email, and documentation. - It identifies people connected to a file or topic. - Results explain both who has relevant context and where that connection was found, making it easier to locate the right expert. ## Getting started Canvases are best suited to workflows where visual understanding and direct manipulation are more effective than sequential prompts. Developers can try them in the GitHub Copilot app by using `/create-canvas`, then iterating with the agent to build a workspace tailored to their task.

What’s new in Figma: August 2022 | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Figma’s August 2022 update focused on improving collaboration, usability, and education support across Figma and FigJam. The headline release was a Microsoft Teams integration, while more than 20 smaller improvements refined everyday design and diagramming workflows. Figma also expanded its education offerings through new resources, templates, events, and Chromebook support. ## Microsoft Teams Integration - The new Figma app for Microsoft Teams lets users collaborate in Figma and FigJam without leaving Teams. - Users can: - Present files during meetings - Brainstorm and riff together - Add relevant files to Teams channels - Receive real-time feedback notifications - The integration targets the more than 270 million people who use Microsoft Teams for work. ## Usability Improvements Figma introduced more than 20 “Little Big Updates,” designed to make frequent tasks faster and more intuitive. - **Gradient editing:** Double-clicking gradients makes it easier to space gradient stops evenly and add depth to color fills. - **Frame markups:** Users can annotate frames without worrying that markings will be clipped or affected by auto layout. - **FigJam diagrams:** New prompts automatically create shapes, while connector mode remains active to speed up flowchart creation. - The updates cover shortcuts, design tools, collaboration features, and other day-to-day workflows. ## Expanding Figma for Education Figma highlighted new initiatives for educators and students through its Commons education conference. - Hundreds of educators participated in workshops, panels, and talks about collaborative classroom practices. - New education-focused FigJam sticker packs were released. - Figma launched an Education Community collection featuring classroom templates. - A monthly YouTube series, **“Study Hall,”** provides additional educational content. - Updates to the Chromebook beta allow U.S. high school districts to deploy Figma Organization to students and teachers for free. Overall, the update shows Figma investing both in major workplace integrations and in small workflow refinements. Teams, designers, and educators can benefit by adopting the Microsoft Teams app, exploring the usability improvements, and using Figma’s growing education resources.

Collaboration’s next chapter with Microsoft’s Jon Friedman | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Figma’s integration with Microsoft Teams reflects a broader shift toward seamless, hybrid collaboration across design, communication, and productivity tools. Jon Friedman argues that distributed work expands access to global talent, while collaborative platforms give teams more equal participation and reduce duplicated effort. However, in-person interaction remains valuable for rich social connection, and adopting collaborative systems requires significant cultural change. ## Hybrid Work and Global Talent - The pandemic accelerated Microsoft’s existing shift toward a more globally distributed workforce. - Strong talent exists far beyond company headquarters, including locations such as India, China, Atlanta, and Norway. - Remote work makes it possible to promote and support high-impact employees without requiring relocation. - Microsoft’s earlier experiments with remote-work practices helped the company transition more effectively during the pandemic. ## Collaboration Tools and the Role of In-Person Work - Tools such as Microsoft Teams and Figma can sometimes enable more effective collaboration than in-person meetings. - Digital tools are relatively non-hierarchical, allowing people to participate with a stronger and more equal voice. - The next challenge is determining when in-person interaction is genuinely useful rather than assuming it should be the default. - Virtual work can support spontaneous interaction, but face-to-face meetings provide richer social signals, including body language, appearance, and mannerisms. - In-person experiences remain important for building human connection and shared rituals. ## Design Systems as Creative Infrastructure - Moving from individual contribution to collaboration-first work can require a multi-year cultural transformation. - Friedman initially worried that design systems might restrict designers who enjoy controlling every detail. - Instead, designers embraced the idea because shared systems allow them to avoid reinventing established solutions. - A strong design system is not primarily about enforcing rules; it frees creators to focus on more important problems while maintaining coherence. - Reusable tools and patterns provide a foundation for better, more ambitious work. ## Integrated Tool Chains - Using Figma alongside Teams’ chat and video capabilities allows teams to design, discuss, and iterate in the same ecosystem. - Collaboration can happen synchronously or asynchronously, with fewer barriers between creating and communicating. - Teams also benefits from enabling third-party companies to build on its platform. - Combining Microsoft’s communication infrastructure with Figma’s collaborative design environment supports Microsoft’s broader goal of becoming a company that builds together. The practical recommendation is to treat collaboration tools and design systems as cultural infrastructure, not merely software purchases. Organizations should combine flexible remote practices with intentional in-person interaction and use shared systems to give teams more time for meaningful creative work.