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This morning, a subtle change in SharePoint caught my attention, but not in a good way. Microsoft has introduced a faint animation on interface elements meant to convey depth. It’s a small change, barely noticeable unless you’re looking for it.

And yet, it irked me. Not because it was particularly offensive, but because it epitomises a wider, persistent problem: Microsoft seems to be prioritising needless changes over essential stability.

Who asked for this animation? Who benefits from it? Did anyone demand it? Was any real user consulted? It’s hard to tell whether these changes come from user feedback or simply from a design team caught in a loop of reinventing the wheel.

The ire wasn’t just about the animation, though. It was compounded by a more pressing issue I encountered minutes earlier. It came in the middle of supporting a tech-reluctant colleague with a piece of work. The nature of the task required repeated use of the simple “Copy of this page” feature.

It should be simple: clone a page, edit the copy, leave the original intact. Instead, SharePoint quietly directed me back to the original. Edits made under the assumption they were safely sandboxed in a duplicate ended up corrupting the source. This isn’t just inconvenient; it’s counterproductive and confusing, especially when I’m training users who already find technology intimidating.

Agile development has its virtues, but this isn’t Agile done safely. This is instability disguised as progress. What I want from Microsoft — and what users need — is a foundation of reliability, predictability and clear functionality. Instead, we’re treated to rolling feature updates no one asked for, dropped into live environments with little warning or documentation.

Copilot is another glaring example. Rather than offering genuinely helpful AI integration, it manifests primarily as nagging banners and interface clutter. It’s pitched as assistance, but it often feels like coercion — particularly when I’m just trying to help colleagues stay afloat in an already complicated workspace.

Every day, I’m reminded how far user experience seems to have fallen down the priority list at Microsoft. The elegance, clarity, and coherence of a well-thought-out user experience seem absent. And in their place: cosmetic tweaks, untested behaviours, and distractions dressed as innovation.

This is what happens when UX takes a backseat. The perils of delivering features nobody asked for, and neglecting core functionality. Maybe they should try testing with our users. Real tech noobs. People with a minimal digital skills set. Then they might truly understand what we’re up against.