The tools focus heavily on productivity with AI-powered features like muting background noises like lawnmowers and crying babies, and auto-framing so the camera follows the speaker’s movements. There’s also a feature that subtly lifts the speaker’s eyes to make it look like they’re looking directly at the camera during video calls, and a security tool that reduces phishing.
For example, its new live captioning feature was born from an idea by Swetha Machanavajhala, Senior Product Manager for the Deaf at Azure Cognitive Services, who said she had a hard time following meetings. She needed a device to read subtitles generated by a human captioner and a computer to take notes while she focused on the presentation. The pandemic has intensified the need for change, she said.
“The meetings were extremely overwhelming, involving a lot of visual coordination between the content presented on one screen and the subtitles on another screen. I often missed out on information and felt left out,” Machanavajhala told CNN Business. “I couldn’t be as productive as my peers.”
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In a hackathon, he led a team of 10 Microsoft employees to bring universal subtitles to the Windows platform, allowing any type of audio coming out of the computer to be captioned in time, whether it’s a Windows product like Teams or other services. , such as YouTube, a podcast, FaceTime, or a website. He then presented the tool to executives who agreed to make it an official feature of Windows 11. The new tool can also caption audio captured by the microphone, providing subtitles to the user if he is speaking to someone in person.
Similarly, another new Windows 11 tool called Focus was developed in part by a Windows product manager with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (TDAH). Alexis Kane said she was often overwhelmed by the influx of notifications while working from home and sought to help Microsoft identify ways to reduce distractions.
“As someone with ADHD, my computer behavior throughout the day influences my mood, productivity and energy level,” Kane said. “It became more apparent with virtual work when I didn’t have a break from my computer. The number of notifications I received increased dramatically, as did my anxiety level.”
Users now enable a Do Not Disturb button from within any notification, allowing them to silence alerts, emails, and other messages for a period of time. Although the company told CNN Business it had an earlier interest in adding this kind of functionality to Windows, which is already available in some form in Apple and Samsung software, it accelerated the concept when Kane said the notifications were taking a toll on his productivity. .
“I now use the focus timer throughout my workday when I feel really overwhelmed; it helps me organize my thoughts in a structured way,” he said. “These characteristics will extend to everyone, but will have a specific impact on those who are neurodiverse.”
During the event, Microsoft said it was also rolling out a tool to pin files, content, and favorite websites for quick access. A new feature called Windows 365 Switch will make it easier for users to move between their cloud PC and their local office.
Other tools aim to proactively combat phishing and targeted malware by identifying and alerting users when they enter their Microsoft credentials into a malicious app or hacked website.
The company didn’t give a timeline for rolling out all the new features, but the inclusion tools and meeting enhancements will be available for download later this year.
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