Controlled user interface transitions using seating policies that rank users added to communication sessions

A computing device for maintaining user engagement during an addition of a new participant to a communication session, the computing device comprising:

• one or more processing units;
• and
• a computer-readable storage media having encoded thereon computer-executable instructions to cause the one or more processing units to:
• cause a display of the communication session user interface comprising individual renderings of the video streams of a plurality of participants on remote computing devices each associated with the plurality of participants, wherein the individual renderings each has a position relative to a seating configuration of a virtual environment, wherein the computing system allows the plurality of participants to communicate through a primary communication session;
• receive an input data identifying the new participant for the communication session;
• and
• in response to receiving the input data identifying the new participant for the communication session, cause an insertion of a rendering of the new participant into a location within the seating configuration according to a seating policy, wherein the policy defines rules or criteria for positioning renderings of one or more participants based on a ranking of the one or more participants, wherein a position of the renderings of the new participant is associated with a position of a select participant, wherein the position of the new participant is based on a rank of the new participant relative to a rank of the select participant, wherein the position of the new participant is based on the rank of the select participant if the select participant has a ranking that meets a threshold ranking, and if the ranking of the select participant does not meet the threshold ranking, the new participant is not placed in a predetermined position, wherein individual seat positions of the seating configuration are maintained and positions of the plurality of participants are maintained relative to the individual seat positions during the insertion of the new participant to enhance user interaction with a computing device.

A computer-readable storage device having encoded thereon computer-executable instructions for maintaining user engagement during an addition of a new participant to a communication session, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause one or more processing units of a system to:

• cause a display of the communication session user interface comprising individual renderings of the video streams of a plurality of participants on remote computing devices each associated with the plurality of participants, wherein the individual renderings each has a position relative to a seating configuration of a virtual environment, wherein the computing system allows the plurality of participants to communicate through a primary communication session;
• receive an input data identifying the new participant for the communication session;
• and
• in response to receiving the input data identifying the new participant for the communication session, cause an insertion of a rendering of the new participant into a location within the seating configuration according to a seating policy, wherein the policy defines rules or criteria for positioning renderings of one or more participants based on a ranking of the one or more participants, wherein a position of the renderings of the new participant is associated with a position of a select participant, wherein the position of the new participant is based on a rank of the new participant relative to a rank of the select participant, wherein the position of the new participant is based on the rank of the select participant if the select participant has a ranking that meets a threshold ranking, and if the ranking of the select participant does not meet the threshold ranking, the new participant is not placed in a predetermined position, wherein individual seat positions of the seating configuration are maintained and positions of the plurality of participants are maintained relative to the individual seat positions during the insertion of the new participant to enhance user interaction with a computing device.