Loop: An app too far? The pros and cons of Microsoft's new Loop app

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The Loop app in Microsoft 365 has garnered a lot of excitement since it was released first in public preview and then more recently as generally available. It is focused on a new way to collaborate on your Microsoft 365 content, but the history of this innovation is a fairly long one, and the Loop app we see today is not necessarily a full picture of what was intended when its development started back in 2019.
In this video we will explore the Loop app and the underlying Loop technology that is designed to shake up how we use Microsoft 365. Does it deliver on this promise? Or is it an app too far?
Are there pros and cons to Loop? Yes. For example, we have the Microsoft Loop Meeting Agenda, but we also have limitations in sharing.
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Links:
Fluid framework blog post - www.microsoft.com/en-us/micro...
Fluid components - techcommunity.microsoft.com/t...
Loop rename - www.zdnet.com/article/microso...
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:25 The Loop App and its technology
4:33 The background of fluid framework
6:21 So why a Loop app?
9:54 The problems with Loop
13:10 How well does Loop deliver on what was promised?
15:59 The AI connection
18:02 Should you use Loop?
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[@stras676]

I just drafted dozens and dozens of docs for a new project in Loop. Was impressed. But in the end, when it came down to it, I decided I couldn't trust it and started moving all into OneNote. Because when I release the project to the team, and they take their cue from me and start adding their own components, I have no way of knowing where those components started off, are stored, and ultimately how much I can rely on them to never disappear with crucial information. People leaving the company, IT changing retention policies. Can't risk it. I NEED the parts consolidated in one location.

[@pw.70]

I've tried both and (Loop and OneNote) and cannot get away with either of them. I find Obsidian to be amazing, though, especially the graph view of the linkages. This lends an extra level to the organisation, especially when it comes to things like designing databases or similar structural linkages.

[@cvkealey]

I work in an organization where the 80/20 rule of software utilization (80% of users only take advantage of 20% of an application or platform's capabilities) is practically law. I see a small handful of people making effective use of the Loop app, but I know quite lot who are using Loop components. The integration between the Tasks component and Planner makes it an obvious choice for creating and assigning action items in meetings. The list components are fantastic for (as you demonstrate) crowd-sourcing meeting agendas. So, in our org (and I'd wager many others), it's going to take folks a few years to really utilize Loop components, by which time a lot of the shortcomings will have been addressed. Now, I'm not saying that MS shouldn't have held out a bit on the Loop app and waited until it was more fully-developed. Chances are, as you imply, there will be people who try it, hit a wall due to a missing capability, and never come back. But, that's true of any technology. Personally, I'm more annoyed by other "barely finished yet generally available" updates (like the AI-powered flow editor) than an app that barely anyone is going to use.

[@brightideasagency]

Thanks for watching. Eventually the industry might find a balance between Google’s approach of “in beta for years at a time” and Microsoft’s “any level of available is generally good enough”. Until then this will continue to be a problem.

[@donmcd6321]

So refreshing to get a nuanced and intellectually curious product review. Thank you!

[@brightideasagency]

Thanks for watching. Your feedback is appreciated.

[@yummybeers]

Very helpful, thank you

[@brightideasagency]

Thanks for watching.

[@CheraiDiMeo]

Thank you very very much for this video. Because of your measured and thorough review I can explore Loop and know what issues I'm going to run into. Right now, Loop seems to be the best compromise between what my team needs and asking my team to learn another app.

[@brightideasagency]

Glad it was useful. Thanks for watching and good luck with Loop.

[@user-fr8ms4dh4m]

Great insight! Thank you.

[@brightideasagency]

Thanks for watching.

[@keegannaidoo4170]

I fully agree with your point of view. The feature looks attractive initially but there is a lot of friction about deciding which app is best for each usage case when using the loop app in a productivity system. The purpose of the app and its integration in the Microsoft ecosystem system is not clear

[@Worrelpa]

You have a lot of valid points there at this point in time. I still have architectural issues with the way Teams was setup and works. You didn't mention the fact that we still don't have any admin tools for loop workspaces. Looks like Microsoft went off on a journey but without a map. That said the Loop team have asked for feedback a lot over the past few years. At the end of the day it is a long journey to get to that maturity of a product where it does what it set out to do. One keep element is the reduction of context switching and reduced duplication of information. The speed at which this has been going has been really slow regarding what I would call the fundamentals. I would rather they focused on getting the basics right. Least we forget it has taken decades to get most of the Office apps to where they are today.

[@Ajexis]

True, the lack of possibility to share in an easy manner with externals is a pain. You can add them manually as viewers on loop, but haven't been able to get them to see any Loop content when not on our tenant. However, if they go on your tenant, then they can read/write on Loop pages.

[@brightideasagency]

Thanks for watching and for your input on this topic.

[@unfgreen]

This is a terrific assessment of Loop today.

[@brightideasagency]

Thanks for watching and for your feedback on this.

[@shockawe3773]

I love loop. The solution is only 3 months old given the open access date and it really shines. I have trust that the issues you mention will soon be resolved especially the access to externals. It would be intresting to see how Loop components can be created or edited by tapping into automation via access in MS Graph and possibly PowerAutomate later on. AI integration might soon give us search feedback of loop components and even become a boilerplate or Scafolding tool for Loop Workspaces.

[@brightideasagency]

Thanks for watching. I agree that these issues will probably be resolved… but I firmly believe the period during which to resolve such issues is before general release. I’m not holding my breath on any useful API for this either, unless I’ve missed something nothing has been announced to date. I hope things continue to develop quickly.

[@pw.70]

I could not agree more. Well said and thought out. Integration is definitely the key to this, not just fancy tools. I would have thought that Ms would have integrated Loop directly with SharePoint (the collaborative nature being a big hint in its name...).

[@brightideasagency]

Loop (the app) works with SharePoint embedded. I think this different approach is perhaps at the core of some of the confused implementation outside of the app itself.

[@pw.70]

@@brightideasagency - I do see all of this as a way of anchoring users to Ms products. I've been feeling pretty anti-Ms lately... 🤔

[@tomalongi7851]

I thought this video was helpful and insightful. It also put words to what had been bothering me about Loop that I couldn’t articulate. Nevertheless, I’m going to see if my business can exploit Loop in other ways: ways that maybe Microsoft did not advertise or intend. That’s the real fun with new tech anyway; you get it to do something unexpected!

[@brightideasagency]

Thanks for watching. I think that’s a good approach to take on this, it’s how we discover the best use cases.

[@DavidROliver]

I'm not a fan of Loop Components for the very simple reason is it doesn't prevent duplication of effort or data. It is also really easy to create Loop Components and not be able to find them again, and because they don't have a name, what do you search for? These problems become clearer the more Loop Components you create; very quickly, you can find that the Loop App can get overloaded and attempts to become better organised subside because you cannot see what is connected to what with any ease. Notion also hadn't solved this problem but made it easier to find Databases by naming them and the ability to use Tags, so with just a small amount of discipline, you can see all the databases you are authorised to see. However, Apps like Coda are far more mature at handling data, with the ability to create relationships between databases and so offer the small business owner a much easier and cheaper way to organise data. For now Loop isn't ready to handle anything more than a simple list.

[@brightideasagency]

Thanks for watching. Managing components at scale is not something I had considered as a significant problem but I think you’re probably right. Can you share more of your experience on this?

[@mart2611]

My initial thoughts; loop will make disorganised staff slightly more organised and highly organised staff less organised. 😂

[@brightideasagency]

Maybe. I’m not sure the tool itself is necessarily going to reduce organization, but on a company-wide basis the management limitations of the technology may well do. Thanks for watching.

[@pmackenzie82]

Thanks for a useful summary. Loop and a 'fluid framework' promise much, however from personal experience the unreliability of synchronisation between Planner tasks and their instantiation as Loop components mean Loop is 'one to watch' for the future but not quite ready for prime time.

[@brightideasagency]

Thanks for watching. I agree, much promise.

[@cmcconnochie]

Thanks for confirming it only works in my tenant, outsiders not so much.

[@CKDz]

The limitations involved with external O365 tenants is not at all surprising or unusual. Unfettered exchange between separate tenants ARE a security issue. Just ask an InfoSec professional at bank, or any other enterprise business. This is ESPECIALLY concerning with an app as openly "promiscuous" as MS Loop. The opportunities to inadvertently create a privacy or security incident by sharing (leaking) confidential notes, documents, contact info, login credentials, or business relationship changes with through external tenants is very real and needs to be dealt with VERY carefully.

[@ScottyAU-TH]

Loops integration with SPO is frustrating me and emerging adopters. No one wants to ‘own’ Loop Workspaces, with the risk of critical businesses collaboration information disappearing when they leave the company. It’s also failing with surfacing Loop content in SPO site pages. This is a significant design flaw.

[@brightideasagency]

I agree. Thanks for watching and sharing your experiences.

[@philtaylor3757]

Microsoft have two types of product: beta, and obsolete - nothing ever changes

[@brightideasagency]

Thanks for watching. Recently, for many apps, this is largely true. I do think the pace of significant change is making it harder to keep track of what should be where though.

[@teaman7v]

Good to see Holly from Red Dwarf getting work these days

[@brightideasagency]

Which one?

[@teaman7v]

@@brightideasagency 🤦

[@imrantahir1687]

have you heard of "perfectionists".. This is what this video sounds like :) - Loop is indeed pretty useful in its current form. Is it perfect? NO.. will it ever be perfect? NO .. Progress over perfection is a better approach -- almost always -- ... And you Should never ever use a tool based on how enriched it looks with its features. It should all depend on the value it's bringing to the team/org. I see Loop still brings a ton of value for the majority of O365 users in typical mid/large-size organizations.

[@brightideasagency]

Thanks for watching. If expecting a set of integrated tools gets common management and collaboration features is perfectionism, then I guess I’m a perfectionist.

[@imrantahir1687]

@@brightideasagency many features in there def provide excellent collaboration opportunities. of course, it does not cover all aspects and should be evaluated based on specific needs and value analysis (true for any tool). It may not work for some but it does work for many. (like any other tool). It has room to improve- absolutely and some of your suggestions are great and will be useful for many use-cases. But i still think it has a lot for many.

[@donmcd6321]

Does Microsoft ever fix anything? There are problems with Excel that have been driving me crazy for 30 years. They are the equivalent of a textbook publisher who changes things just enough to force everyone to buy new, whether the changes have improved anything or not.

[@brightideasagency]

I think yes, they do. There are definitely for example aspects of the new Teams app that respond to previous issues and user feedback. However, there are so many features, unless your pet broken feature is someone's priority to fix, it can take a while (perhaps 30 years).

[@primaveranz]

Please don't add background music, it is just an irritating distraction.

[@ynotedaw6960]

A small suggestion. You might want to consider recording sitting a lower backed chair. Maybe it's just me, but I find it distracting trying to figure out if you have a superhero neck, or is it just your chair. LOL!

[@brightideasagency]

Thanks for watching. It may well be just you, but regardless, my chair is comfortable. 😂

[@thenortherner3890]

Having a manager who loves Onenote when I have a real dislike from the day it was realised, creating text boxes? Really? So early 2000's. So where is the backend file that stores the data, is it the same as Onenote? What if the creator of an entry works of USB? Or deletes it by accident. So much that hasn't been thought through. Onenote was a poor excuse for note taking app and MS could have done so much better.

[@brightideasagency]

If the only place you have your files is on a USB stick then you’re asking for trouble whether it’s Word docs or a OneNote notebooks - it’s the storage that’s the issue not the file format. What solution do you use? I like OneNote and use it daily.

[@jamesolojo787]

One Note poor excuse for a note taking app? Seriously have u just come back from a jolly