Better Copilot Solutions Start with Diverse Teams

A client launched a Copilot Studio solution that met every technical requirement. Within weeks, usage declined. Accessibility had not been considered during design and neurodivergent users were experiencing cognitive overload. The solution was technically complex and met defined requirements. The problem is that no one was using it.

Based on recent delivery experience, this session explores a simple but often overlooked reality. The composition of your development team directly shapes the outcome of your solution. If your team does not reflect the range of people who will use what you build, gaps in accessibility and usability are introduced from the start.

When people with different accessibility needs, backgrounds, and lived experience are involved early, accessibility becomes part of everyday design decisions rather than an afterthought. In AI‑enabled solutions, these decisions also influence how bias appears or is reduced in the behaviour of the solution.

You will learn practical approaches to:
• Use persona‑based design to capture accessibility requirements alongside functional needs
• Structure pilots and early releases so feedback reflects real users rather than the most confident voices
• Design Copilot Studio conversations that reduce cognitive load and support sustained use

We will also consider the impact of these choices on Citizen Developer initiatives, where delivery decisions are often made quickly and without exposure to real user diversity.

The perspective shared is informed by hands‑on delivery experience leading Power Platform and Copilot Studio teams across live client implementations.

As a leader, the most important technical decision you make is not tooling or architecture, but who you invite into the room. Incorporating the right principles of accessibility and inclusiveness at the beginning of the design process saves development time and increases adoption through better user experience.

From Developer to Architect: Interviewing and Career Progression Best Practices

Breaking into the tech world is one thing but navigating your career path within it is another. In this session, we’ll explore the different journeys across three key roles in the Microsoft Business Applications ecosystem: Developer, Consultant, and Solution Architect. Each role demands unique skills and interview approaches, and knowing how to position yourself (or guide a candidate) can make all the difference.

From a hiring manager’s perspective, I’ll share insights into what interviewers look for in each role, how interviews differ between technical, consulting, and architectural positions, and the signals that indicate when someone is ready to take the next step. We’ll also look at best practices for candidates to prepare, common pitfalls to avoid, and practical tips for charting a career progression, whether you’re a developer looking to grow into consulting, a consultant aspiring to become an architect, or simply deciding which role fits you best.

Expect real-world examples, practical frameworks, and guidance that will help both candidates and managers make informed choices about role fit and career growth.

Designing Accessible and Inclusive Copilot Agents

Session Summary

Learn how to design Copilot agents that support neurodiversity by replacing "digital noise" with calm, structured, and predictable interactions. We will move beyond accessibility checklists to explore practical patterns that reduce cognitive overload and decision fatigue for every brain.

Full Session Description

We spend plenty of time discussing what AI can do but far less time discussing how it feels to use.

As Copilots become part of our daily work, we face a significant, unspoken challenge: cognitive diversity. As someone with ADHD, I know how quickly digital tools can become barriers. Long forms, walls of unstructured text, and open-ended prompts often prevent me from engaging at all. This is not a failure in understanding the technology, this is a failure in user experience and inclusive design.

For some users, a poorly designed AI agent creates cognitive overload and decision paralysis. What should be a productivity boost simply becomes more digital noise.

This session moves beyond basic accessibility checklists and into the realm of cognitive inclusion. We will explore how to build Copilot Studio agents that are easy to understand, predictable in behaviour, and are not overwhelming to use.

We will walk through real examples of how to make your Copilots feel less overwhelming and more supportive. You will see how to swap long input forms for guided choices, avoid prompt paralysis with suggested actions, and build agents that ask/confirm before they act.

Whether you are a developer, architect, or strategist, you will leave with a framework to empower every brain in your organization. When we design for the edges, we create better experiences for everyone.

Will include demo of accessible and inclusive vs inaccessible and non-inclusive agents