About me
Hey, I’m Mads Kristensen, a Principal Product Manager on the Visual Studio team at Microsoft. I work on making day-to-day coding in the IDE smoother, faster, and more productive.
What I care about
Performance
The IDE should stay responsive and get out of your way, from startup to the inner development loop.
Productivity
Small improvements to everyday workflows add up. I look for ways to remove friction and help developers stay in flow.
Extensibility
Developers should be able to shape Visual Studio around their own needs and share those improvements with the community.
Tools for developers
I’ve put that focus into open-source tools and Visual Studio extensions such as Web Essentials, File Explorer, and Rainbow Braces. I also maintain Extensibility Essentials, which makes it easier for extension authors to build and refine their own additions to Visual Studio.
My goal is simple: help make Visual Studio the most enjoyable and powerful development environment it can be.
Sharing what I learn
I write about practical techniques, tips, and experiments here and speak at developer conferences. Most of the material comes directly from building tools, working with extension authors, and finding better ways to use the IDE.