Microsoft 365 Copilot Early Access
Program
The Microsoft 365 Copilot Early Access Program enabled top 600 Microsoft enterprise customers to adopt cutting-edge AI technology through a seamless, three-click checkout experience. I led the design phase to streamline a $100,000 purchase process, ensuring frictionless high-stakes enterprise transactions.
Company
Microsoft Corporation
Role
Design lead
Year
2023
Featured on
The story behind…
It was a quiet Tuesday afternoon at the start of 2023 when my day took an unexpected turn. Without much warning, I was pulled into a high-stakes meeting with six of our VPs and a roomful of product and engineering leaders. As I joined the call, I was informed that our EVP had a bold vision: design a checkout experience that would allow customers to purchase a product in just three clicks. No pressure, right?
At that moment in the meeting, I had no idea what this was for. The details were vague, and the task seemed almost impossibly ambitious. A three-click checkout sounded like the kind of challenge designers dream of and dread in equal measure. I was intrigued and ready to tackle it.
In the days following, it became clear to me that this wasn’t just any product we were designing for. It was the Microsoft 365 Copilot Early Access Program. And the price tag? Only $100,000 per customer. Suddenly, the importance of getting this right was crystal clear. The Early Access Program was a premium offering targeted at 600 of Microsoft’s top enterprise customers, providing them an exclusive opportunity to experience Copilot ahead of its General Availability release.
Thus began a fun and challenging round of iterations, countless shiproom meetings with engineering and product teams, and multiple EVP-level design reviews.s. Every detail was scrutinized, every interaction refined. The three-click constraint forced us to strip away any complexity and focus on creating a seamless, intuitive experience. The stakes were high, but the sense of collaboration across teams was equally energizing.
Months of effort culminated in October 2023, when Microsoft officially launched the Copilot Early Access Program. The launch was a resounding success, thanks to the streamlined checkout experience and the invaluable feedback from our early adopters. Looking back, the journey from that initial Tuesday meeting to the program's launch was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my career. It reinforced the power of design to solve complex problems and deliver exceptional customer experiences, even at the highest stakes.
Business impact
net revenue generated by Microsoft within first week of Copilot Early Access Program launch.
enterprise customers sign up for Copilot Early Access Program within one week of the initial launch.
