Thu, Oct 16, 2008
AsiaOne
- by Jasmine Osada

It is a software suite that almost all PC users have used before, and one that many often rely on for both work and play.

Microsoft Word, the productivity suite of choice for many PC users, comprises several applications including the all-essential top three- Word, Excel and Powerpoint.

AsiaOne spoke to several Microsoft experts about their Microsoft Office story, and to learn a tip or two on using the software suite.

Rashish Pandey, Product Marketing Manager - Information Worker, Microsoft Singapore

1. How has Microsoft Office evolved over the years?

During last 10 years, we have grown beyond a core set of desktop applications to an integrated system of programmes, servers and services which address individual needs of time-challenged professionals of today (whom we at Microsoft refer to as Information Worker) who has to cope with information overload and business needs of the enterprise. Starting with the original five desktop applications (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Access), today we have more than 30 products including:

- Microsoft Exchange Server (an email server)
- Microsoft Office Live Meeting (a hosted Web conferencing service)
- Microsoft Project Server (a project management coordinator)
- Microsoft Visio (diagramming software)
- Microsoft Office OneNote (a digital organizer which works like a notebook)
- Microsoft Office Groove (a collaboration software program that helps teams work together dynamically and effectively).

We have seen tremendous innovation on the original five desktop applications. For example, the new fluent interface in Office 2007 allows users to focus on creating high impact documents rather than just remembering how to use the tools and various commands.

The new interface allows users to "master" the tool, which means you no longer have to think about how to use it to get the results you are looking for. Instead, you simply execute the tasks you need to do to get those results.

2. Why do you think that Microsoft Office skills are seen as essential basic skills for anyone going to work in most industries today?

The world of an Information Worker is becoming increasingly complex, with the large number of devices, communication mediums, services and content available and required to do a job successfully. We need to deal with multiple information sources and manage the large quantity of information both at work as well as at home.

Within the Microsoft team we are committed to focusing on the needs of the Information Workers of today and tomorrow. Microsoft Office equips workers with the skills needed to manage their work schedules, tasks, appointments and presentations, helping everyone to be more efficient and well-rounded in everything they do.

3. What can we look forward to in the next enhancements for Microsoft Office?

We are unable to disclose details about the next enhancements for Microsoft Office at the moment. However, Microsoft will remain laser-focused on meeting the needs of the Information Workers of today and tomorrow. We will continue to invest in providing tools for individuals to be productive and effective, and work towards making individuals more self-sufficient by enabling them to perform more sophisticated tasks themselves and in less time.

Shawn Toh

Shawn is a PowerPoint boy wonder who has won acclaim on the global stage. He was recognised by Microsoft as a Microsoft Most Valued Professional (MVP) - the youngest in the world and one of the only 35 PowerPoint MVPs worldwide.

He is also the creator of PowerPoint Heaven, an online community where PowerPoint enthusiasts from all corners of the global share digital art and programmes that they have created simply using PowerPoint.

1. How does it feel like to be one of only 35 PowerPoint MVPs worldwide?

I feel honored to receive this recognition. It all started with assisting users on Microsoft Office Discussion Group, where I was able to assist users from around the world who require technical help on PowerPoint. My interest eventually grew, and I became actively involved in the community.

In order to proactively share my knowledge and expertise on PowerPoint, I then created PowerPoint Heaven (http://pptheaven.mvps.org), an entertainment and educational portal which focuses on maximizing the use of PowerPoint and going beyond its capability. My goal is to show users that PowerPoint is not simply a presentation tool, but is also capable on leveraging into other areas such as creating games, artwork and animations.

2. What sparked your interest in PowerPoint?

I have been using PowerPoint since 1998. Like many users, I used PowerPoint often for presentations. My interest grew during my polytechnic days, where I was responsible for almost all of my group project presentations. The short amount of time given to prepare a presentation improved my ability to make use of shortcuts, customized toolbar and add-ins to better facilitate my work.

3. Your role-playing game sounds very interesting; can you tell us more about it? How does a player interact with a game entirely on PowerPoint?

The role playing genre is a new area we are experimenting with. The role playing game is created by Anthony Barfield, a PowerPoint Heaven contributor from USA, while I assist in the technical areas of the game. The player gets to control a character with a clickable key pad.

Through the game, you will be able to perform basic commands such as moving around, picking up items and encountering combat, which involves pressing a sequence of buttons to perform an attack. There are also mini games as you adventure through an amazing quest.

A demo, trailer and screenshots will be available on the PowerPoint Heaven eConvention 2008, an online event commemorating the third anniversary of PowerPoint Heaven, on 27 September. We are also hoping to have two different role-playing game demos on that day.

4. Finally, can you give our readers one nifty trick or shortcut that would be of a great help to PowerPoint users?

Mini slide show: Hold down Ctrl key on the keyboard, then click on the slide show icon (located on bottom left hand corner of the screen for PowerPoint 2003, and right hand corner for PowerPoint 2007).

This allows PowerPoint to display 1/4 screen preview of the slide show. While the mini slide show is running, you can perform alt-tab to switch back and forth to make changes, and resume the mini slide show to display those changes.

Sharon Chan

Sharon Chan, a Secondary 4 student from Raffles Girls' School, has just emerged first runner-up in the Excel category for the 2008 Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office, held two weeks ago in Hawaii.

She has also outshone her peers in the male-dominated arena of technology competitions to reign as the National Champion for both Microsoft Excel and Word.

1. How does it feel to be the first runner-up in the Excel category for the 2008 Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office?

I was pleasantly surprised as I never expected to win, and I feel very blessed as well as honored that I have won a first runner-up award for Singapore at this international competition. It's an experience that I'll never forget.

2. When did you first start using Microsoft Office and its applications?

I first started using Microsoft Office about 8 years ago, when I started using the computer.

3. What do you use Microsoft Office for most of the time?

When I was younger, I used to play around with the simple functions of Microsoft Office and learning them on my own. I was especially intrigued by the range of formulas that Excel provided.

Now, I use Microsoft Office mostly for my presentations, reports, projects, proposals and databases. Microsoft Office has indeed been a great help to my schoolwork and beyond.

4. How did you prepare yourself and train to win the Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office? Did you get special guidance from someone, or go for specific courses?

Training included a range of different methods: the DDC simulation (a software specially used for training for the Microsoft Office Specialist exams), reading the Microsoft Office Specialist and Expert books as well as familiarizing ourselves with the shortcuts and menu buttons.

Of course, I did not do this alone. My fellow Singaporean teammates, Yuan Jie and You Hock from Temasek Polytechnic, have also given me great assistance and guidance along the way, while the moral support from my parents, friends and teachers have encouraged me deeply.

Christopher and Hock Heng from Certiport Singapore have also been very friendly guides as well as provided immense encouragement throughout the course of the competition and the trip.

5. Do your friends look up to you as a "Microsoft Office Expert"?

I would not be as bold to claim that they look up to me as a Microsoft Office Expert, but they know they can count on me whenever they need any help in Microsoft Office.

Charlie Tay

A logistics manager by day and an Office expert by night, Charlie Tay's passion lies in helping others make the most of the tools they have.

Charlie was certified as a Master Instructor of Office and now volunteers regularly with government agencies and nonprofits to share his skills.

Charlie's keen interest in Office has led him to take various courses over the last 12 years to get certified in the use of various Office applications, and he finally managed to convert these multiple levels of expertise into a Master Certification, which is extremely rare in the world.

1. When did you first start using Microsoft Office, and what sparked your interest in taking up courses on the various applications?

I initially started using Microsoft Office 2007 applications for basic work purposes, such as Excel to create spreadsheets to keep track of inventory, Word as an electronic typewriter and PowerPoint as a simple presentation tool.

I started using Microsoft Access to manage the increasing demands of my job, as the amount of data I needed to manage increased tremendously.

After progressively learning to use Microsoft Office software, I was very excited to share my knowledge with my peers, and embarked on getting certified so as to be able to teach in the commercial world.

2. Which of the Office applications is your favorite, and why?

Microsoft Access is my favorite application, as it is very powerful in helping managers and administrators to handle and analyze a huge amount of data.

Yunn Wei Yee

Primary Four student Wei Yee was the youngest in Singapore to attain Microsoft Office Specialist certification. She was seven years old when she was certified in 2005, but her parents started teaching her how to use the software before she even started primary school.

1. How does it feel to be the youngest Microsoft Office Specialist in Singapore?

I felt surprised and extremely happy when I first received the award!

2. Which Microsoft Office Application do you like most, and why?

I like PowerPoint the most because I can apply many functions for me to create different effects for my project work. I used the custom animation to create special effects for my projects like class project work and also used it in my presentation for a recent Student-Initiated-Project to come out with some ideas for school improvements.

3. When did you first start learning how to use Microsoft Office?

My mother taught me how to use Microsoft Office when I was in K2. I learnt about formatting, paragraphing and custom animation.

4. You seem to like Microsoft Office a lot, is it fun?

Yes, it is really fun to use. I think Microsoft Office is very useful and interesting. I think adding custom animation is the most fun part.

5. Can you share with us what are the fun or interesting things you made with Microsoft Office?

I use Microsoft Office to do cards for festive greetings, posters and PowerPoint slides for my different projects. I have done PowerPoint presentations for class projects and made cards for friends and loved ones during festive occasions.