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Context IQ in M365 Copilot
As the lead designer for Context IQ, improved the grounding experience in Copilot—enabling users to connect files, people, and meetings for more relevant AI responses. Though rooted in Word, this horizontal project spanned all of Microsoft 365, requiring coherent patterns across Teams, PowerPoint, and more.
My role included leading design, aligning stakeholders, and strengthening accessibility through research and engineering collaboration. Today, Context IQ is live in production, helping millions of users worldwide get more tailored results from Copilot.
MY ROLE
Product Design, UX Research
DURATION
2023 - Present
Background
Background
Users told us that Copilot often felt too generic when it wasn’t grounded in the right files, people, or meetings. Context IQ was meant to bridge that gap, but inconsistent design patterns across Microsoft 365 left many users confused.
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On top of that, key interactions weren’t clear: people didn’t realize they could search within the typing loop, loading states felt ambiguous, and the logic behind what was displayed seemed unpredictable.
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To truly unlock Copilot’s potential, we had to bring everything together—unifying the design, clarifying interactions, and making sure Context IQ worked consistently and accessibly across the entire Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
Solution
Solution
To solve these challenges, I led the effort to redesign Context IQ into a unified, reusable component that worked seamlessly across Microsoft 365. The new design clarified how users could ground their prompts by searching files, people, and meetings.
We refined loading states and display logic, also improving accessibility through enhanced keyboard and typing interactions.
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Collaboration was key: I partnered with PMs across Word, Teams, and PowerPoint to balance product-specific needs, worked closely with engineers to deliver detailed specs that addressed latency and retrieval constraints, and teamed with the Fluent Design to add Context IQ to the Microsoft Design Library so it could be scaled consistently across the ecosystem.
Key Contributions
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Led design for Context IQ from early exploration to global rollout
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Created flexible design patterns adaptable across Word, Teams, PowerPoint, and more while preserving coherence.
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Integrated CIQ into Microsoft’s design library, enabling reuse across M365.
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Collaborated with engineers to provide detailed specs, balancing usability with technical constraints such as retrieval latency.
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Enhanced accessibility, refining typing and keyboard interactions to improve inclusivity.
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Conducted UX research to guide decisions on file display, latency handling, and interaction flows.
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Aligned cross-functional teams, building consensus among PMs, engineers, and design partners across M365.
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Developed technical depth in grounding, retrieval, and latency models to inform user-friendly design decisions.
Related Links
Related Links
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