Fresh Perspectives: Living in the reality of SharePoint intranets

David Bowman and Jarbas Horst from Fresh Intranet sit down with Christiaan Lustig, intranet and digital workplace consultant and author, to explore what digital employee experience really means. Christiaan explains why his definition puts employee needs first, arguing that great digital employee experience is the sum total of all digital interactions where the needs and expectations of employees come first. 

The conversation covers how intranets serve as horizontal platforms that bridge organizational silos, the importance of talking directly to employees before implementing new tools, and why resistance to digital tools often signals the wrong tool or wrong implementation approach. Christiaan shares practical advice on using personas to make employee insights tangible and discusses how AI will change digital workplace interactions through conversational interfaces while exposing poor content management practices. 

Key topics covered: 
[00:00] Intro 
[01:29] Writing a book on digital employee experience 
[04:04] Defining digital employee experience beyond technology 
[05:15] Business benefits of employee-focused design 
[08:43] Organizations actively pursuing DEX improvements 
[12:28] Internet's role as horizontal platform 
[16:07] Organization size boundaries for DEX 
[17:56] Formal recognition of digital employee experience 
[21:45] Integration strategies based on employee journeys 
[25:06] Handling resistance to new digital tools 
[29:35] Listening to employee needs effectively 
[31:54] AI's impact on digital employee experience 
[36:33] Future of DEX in next 5 years 
[41:01] First steps for improving employee experience 
 
A must-listen for anyone working to improve their organization's digital workplace through employee-centered design.

Jarbas and David from Fresh Perspectives sit down with Suzie Robinson from ClearBox Consulting to explore the comprehensive process behind the 900-page ClearBox Report. Suzie explains how her team conducts 3.5-hour product demos, scores vendors across 8 business scenarios, and maintains the delicate balance between honest reviews and vendor relationships while keeping this valuable resource free for organizations. 
The conversation covers ClearBox's rigorous fact-checking process, the evolution from analytics as a standalone scenario to integrated workflow assessments, and how customer service has become increasingly crucial in vendor selection. Suzie shares insights on AI trends in the digital employee experience space, discussing how platforms are moving beyond basic generative features toward more supportive governance and lifecycle management tools that truly benefit organizations.

Building a successful community isn't about gathering large numbers of people in one place. It's about creating meaningful connections that drive real business outcomes. Former Microsoft MVP program leader Laurie Pottmeyer shares her proven strategies for building communities that actually work.
Laurie spent nearly two decades at Microsoft developing some of their most successful community programs, including the Microsoft 365 MVP program. She reveals the critical difference between connection and momentum, and why most community building efforts fail before they even begin.
The conversation covers everything from getting executive buy-in and measuring ROI to choosing the right tools and maintaining consistent engagement. You'll learn why purpose beats participation, how to identify your community champions, and the three essential elements every successful community needs from day one.
Whether you're building an internal champions program or an external customer community, this episode provides a practical roadmap for creating communities that deliver measurable value to both members and organizations.

Fresh Perspectives hosts Jarbas Horst and David Bowman sit down with Kripal Kavi, Principal Group Product Manager at Microsoft, who leads product development for SharePoint experiences including sites, pages, the new Amplify space, and SPFx. Kripal manages an impressive portfolio spanning both mature products serving hundreds of millions of users and zero-to-one initiatives, giving him a unique perspective on product strategy at massive scale. The conversation explores SharePoint's role as the foundational fabric of Microsoft 365, where it serves as the primary content source for Copilot and supports everything from simple intranet publishing to complex workflow automation.
Kripal discusses Microsoft's vision for SharePoint's future, emphasizing the balance between AI-powered conversational interfaces and traditional visual UX design. He shares insights on common misconceptions about SharePoint, particularly how many users still think of it as the early 2000s product rather than the modern, flexible platform it has become. The discussion covers Microsoft's approach to simplifying SharePoint while maintaining its powerful capabilities, the importance of keeping enterprise content consolidated for AI effectiveness, and how third-party partners play a crucial role in extending SharePoint's value for specific customer needs.

Key topics covered:
[00:00] Intro
[01:31] Most Exciting SharePoint Projects
[04:13] Managing Massive Scale Challenges
[05:42] Picking Favorite Features
[08:35] SharePoint's Role in Microsoft 365
[12:53] Underappreciated SharePoint Strengths
[16:26] Evolution vs Revolution Question
[20:35] Future of User Interfaces
[24:37] Making Intranets More Successful
[29:36] Third Party Solutions Discussion
[31:01] Changing SharePoint Perceptions
[35:53] Future SharePoint Direction
[39:39] SharePoint Myths to Bust
[41:01] Favorite Apps and Tools
A fascinating look inside Microsoft's product strategy for one of the enterprise world's most foundational platforms.

Daniel Amaro from Klarinet Solutions shares 27 years of hard-won wisdom about what makes intranet projects succeed or fail. From his base in San Diego, Daniel has delivered hundreds of intranet projects and reveals the 3 critical elements every organization needs before starting their digital workplace journey. The biggest surprise? It's not about the technology. Organizations that focus on executive sponsorship, dedicated champions, and content strategy see dramatically better outcomes than those who jump straight into features and functionality.