MicrosoftI use Outlook and Teams only at work. Frankly, I have become so unhappy with how Microsoft ruins so many things that I liked and tries to force garbage (One Drive, anyone?) on us, that except for Word and Excel, I do not bother trying Microsoft apps on my personal computers anymore.
I have absolutely no need to have any icons for your apps in any of your other apps. Those I need I have linked to my start page or to my taskbar. Having them inside communication apps just takes up room and looks messy to me, but if others use them, ok.
However, why on earth would you make a major design change without leaving an option for users to revert to the previous design. I find the new location for icons for calendar, folders, etc., in Outlook to be very annoying and distracting. Too many software companies do this sort of thing: make major design changes to commonly used products and think everyone is going to love it. It's as if you have nothing better to do so you design new looks and UIs and get all caught up in your own little world without regard to the customers. It's like how so many retail workers think selling bathing suits in January is fine, but selling them in July makes no sense. Customers need them in July, but the retail people are too caught up in their little world and not in thinking about the customers.
In regards to UIs, if it works don't "fix" it! One of the things that makes often-used products more useful is consistency! By making design changes you are throwing out consistency. Users develop a subconscious habit of clicking in certain places and every time you change the location of something users have to go through a whole new learning process where they train their subconscious to learn a new habit. Frankly, this is annoying and wastes our time.
