---
title: Office 12
date: "2005-09-14T12:00:00Z"
categories:
  - links
wp_id: 552
description: I watched a video preview of Office 12's radical new interface. I was most impressed by PowerPoint's ability to automatically convert text into complex diagrams, a feature that notably allowed a blind user to create graphics for the first time.
keywords: [office 12, microsoft office, powerpoint, user interface, accessibility, diagrams]
---

A 40-minute [video preview of Office 12](http://channel9.msdn.com/showpost.aspx?postid=114720). I don't normally watch videos this long. But it was worth it.

Office 12 has a REALLY different user interface ([critique](http://applexnet.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1591)). It's also supposed to have a lot of new features.

What struck me the most in the video is how Powerpoint creates diagrams. You type text, and Powerpoint can automatically convert that into value chains, org charts, etc. Julie mentions that a blind user was able to create graphics using this feature, and that this was the **first** time she has been able to create graphics in all her life!