“The next wave of Microsoft 365 UX changes will go even further by fading brand colors from app headers and exploring adaptive commanding,” wrote design and research VP Jon Friedman. “A flexible ribbon that progressively discloses contextually relevant commands at the right time just where you need them.”

Judging by the video, this could mean that Microsoft will use icons and app color branding in the headers to make it clear what app you’re in. It also plans to replace the fixed ribbon with one that can be docked and floated based on what you’re doing, perhaps like a glorified right- or ctlr-click command box. The team hasn’t locked down the final design, however.

The designers also want to put the command search bar in the top center, making it easier to find the myriad functions available in Word, Excel and other apps. “We’ll further advance our seamless, cross-suite Search to bring relevant information to your fingertips,” wrote Friedman.

All the changes are in service of keeping you focused on the task at hand, whether it requires lengthy concentration or quick tasks. “By designing for multiple cognitive states, focused experiences throughout the Microsoft 365 ecosystem minimize external distractions, lessen self-interruptions, and jumpstart flow,” according to Friedman.

The sprawling article and lavish video don’t convey much information, but may unintentionally explain why the Office UI has become so complicated. Hopefully the new design ideas will help, but they could take awhile. “While some of these changes will roll out within a year or two, others are still very much exploratory,” wrote Friedman.

There are some catches. As Android Police warned, the current Android app isn’t optimized for tablets or Chromebooks. You can’t even use it in landscape mode. The iOS equivalent to the app is also nowhere to be seen at this point. We’ve asked Microsoft if it can elaborate on its plans.

This could still be a significant step forward for mobile productivity, so long as you’re willing to invest in Microsoft’s ecosystem. For years, both Microsoft and Google have insisted on separate apps for each task, requiring you to juggle those apps to get things done. This all-in-one approach might save you time if you’re working on both a report and the presentation to sell that report to your boss.

There isn’t a surfeit of new features. The largest changes are to Excel, where a newly available XLOOKUP function helps you find cell data. You can also read and respond to comments directly from email. And whichever app you’re using, there’s a new alt text pane that helps you add captions and mark elements as decorative. The spruced-up interface is really the centerpiece here –the new capabilities are mostly nice-to-have perks.