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Designing lightbox for your Microsoft Teams app

  • Article

The lightbox is a display component that emphasizes important information by deactivating the page layout behind it. Information in the lightbox is noneditable and non-interactive. The lightbox view enables users to preview media content, including images, videos, audio files on a large surface over the main Teams window.

The lightbox component is designed for quick reviews, understanding, or verification. It doesn't support actions for editing or collaboration. Users can initiate the lightbox in a new Teams window or open it directly in a native app or browser.

Anatomy

The lightbox view includes a header, center stage, and carousel.

Design anatomy of the lightbox view in the Teams.

Counter Description
1 Back: Button to navigate to the previoius screen
2 Open in: Button (basic or split) to navigate to the external window
3 Buttons with content actions: Zoom in or out, Share, Download, or open chat panel
4 Chevrons for slide show
A Lightbox header: Actionable
B Center stage: Main content container
C Carousel: Actionable

Sizing of the components

Following is the default sizing for the container with the main content:

Example shows an image sizing with lightbox view in the Teams.

Best practices

Recommended best practices for Lightbox

Do: Use a lightbox component to preview files that present media such an image, video, audio in a full-screen view

Help to save time during file opening. Opening on top of the main content. With easy navigation through the files and fast soft dismiss.

Example shows the use of a lightbox component to preview files.

Don't: Use a lightbox for content editing or interaction

Information in the lightbox is noneditable and non-interactive. Provide clear options in Open in menu, where users can start to interact with content.

Example shows the use of a lightbox component for content editing.

Do: Use a Lightbox component to preview documents

Documents, which are intended just for the preview option or have Preview option from More option.

Example shows the use of a lightbox component to preview documents.

Don't: Use a lightbox in collaborative environments where it’s helpful to see live presence

Users won’t be able to see who else is in the file and making changes from the lightbox.

Example shows the use of a lightbox component in collaborative environments.

Do: Back button in the header will take to the previous screen and close the lightbox or clicking on the sides from the main content

Example shows the use of a lightbox component with back button in the header.

Don't use more button to close the lightbox

You can exit the lightbox by either going back to the previous screen or tapping outside of it.

Example shows the use of a lightbox component with more back buttons.

Do: Highlight the chat panel to communicate about the previewed file

Example shows the use of a lightbox component with highlighted chat panel.

Don't: Refer to commenting in a lightbox experience

Users can’t comment in lightbox files.

Example shows the use of a lightbox component with commenting in the chat panel.

Do: Open the file in a new window if the file requires more time to focus and is editable

Example shows the use of a lightbox component to open the file in a new window.

Don't: Use lightbox for files as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF. Lightbox is a good component for content preview

Example shows the use of a lightbox component for files as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF.