Microsoft Teams

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Microsoft heavily promotes itself as neurodiversity-aware, and has a recruitment program for neurodiverse people, called MSND. However, neurodiversity awareness isn't particularly borne out in their products.

I've just written to them asking them to include an option to disable the little three-dot 'typing' animation in the Teams chat window, which currently cannot be turned off. Surely there are enough neurodiverse people working at Microsoft that one of them might have pointed out that for some autistic people, that animation is such a distraction as to make Teams unusable.

Note to mods: I've put this in the 'Work' topic because it's likely that if people use Microsoft Teams, they're using it at work. It it needs to move (e.g. to Rants), please go ahead.

Ahh, yes it definitely can be distracting. I find myself staring at it waiting for a response when I send messages on Teams for work.

I wonder if they will actually do something about it after hearing your complaint?

So far, I've got a form response welcoming me to MSND and inviting me to apply for positions at Microsoft. (No, I don't want to work for Microsoft.)

Neurotypicals have been complaining about how irritating it is for years, and Microsoft has simply ignored them.

I wonder if they will listen if enough ND people complain about it from the viewpoint that (a) it makes ND people less productive at work, which is the opposite of what their products are supposed to achieve, and (b) it makes a mockery of their own stated position on ND awareness when their own products palpably ignore the accessibility needs of ND people.

My professional view is that Microsoft Teams is vastly inferior to Zoom. Perhaps Teams does the job for internal remote meetings within the company, but anytime I get a Microsoft Teams invite, be it from my clients or otherwise, I'm bummed.

My autistic view is that Teams AND Zoom are difficult to deal with.