Why aren't video feeds at the top of the screen?

[AdamWright]

About 90% of webcams are located at the top of monitors, whether the user is using a laptop or desktop monitors.  Why was it decided to put user video feeds at the bottom of Teams video calls?  During meetings where someone is sharing their screen (which is a majority of meetings I'm in), when I watch other users talking, our video feeds all show us looking down rather than looking up into our webcams.  Seeing others' video feeds of them looking back at you is far more engaging and organic feeling than seeing everyone looking down, which feels like they are looking away/not paying attention.  That is why Webex puts the video feeds at the top of the window.

[#2 · Accepted solution]

Hi @AdamWright

Its by design - but there is a uservoice open for exactly this here

https://microsoftteams.uservoice.com/forums/555103-public/suggestions/35475265-video-feeds-from-meet...

Would vote to push up the agenda. I agree with this so voted myself. I would also recommend raising this in any future AMA's here in Tech Community too. We should at least have the option where to locate the video feeds

Hope this answers your question!

Best, Chris

[#3]

@Christopher Hoard 

Thanks for that info, I voted for it.  Can you confirm why this is by design?

[#4]

I don’t know the explicit reasons why. It’s been like that a a long as I can remember. The meetings bar changed about a year ago for a more instinctual feel.

Maybe it’s because the meeting view has been designed for room meetings where screens are wall mounted and at sitting height? I don’t know. I believe quite strongly that the visual meeting experience should be a lot more customisable than it is. For example instead of the four quadrants I would like to see a linear view of the speakers in the to half of the screen - for the same reason as your ask. Some people I know get around this by placing their laptops higher up. Others I know have a separate camera on the left next to the laptop as that’s where many people instinctively look.

I’ve voted for that UserVoice too as I would like to see this change.
I will feed it back during MVP summit if I have the opportunity

Best, Chris

[#5]

@Christopher Hoard Zoom, is what you're describing. you're saying you want Zoom.

[#6]

I am saying give people the option to customise the view - then they will not have a reason to pick zoom over Microsoft Teams, if even they had a reason too in the first instance given the lack of integration with Microsoft 365 and the long list of security issues. What Adam Wright is describing here is an issue. I have seen it many times, particularly where users to not have external cams