Most of my time is spent developing software – this could be working on existing or new software for clients or developing our own products and sending it out to potential customers for testing.
Another portion of my time is spent advocating Microsoft and in particular the Windows Insider Program which is heavily based around the feedback from users to help build Windows 10.
An area of particular importance for both working in software development and the Windows Insider program is the area of FEEDBACK.
Feedback could take the form of giving an opinion on an idea or or on something that has already been developed – and it is important to try and be as descriptive as possible (it helps both you as the person providing feedback and the developer get the issue solved quicker).
For example, if you are providing feedback on an app (or a new feature of Windows) – try and avoid phrases like “it doesn’t work”, or “it’s broke” – try and provide as much detail as possible – what device are you using? What were you doing at the time? Did an error message appear? Can you reproduce the issue by trying the same steps again?
If you are able to answer these kind of questions, it gives developers (like me!) a better understanding of what has went wrong and how to fix it feeding back into the development of the product providing a better outcome for all parties involved.
Likewise, if you are involved in providing ideas to help improve a product, try and be as descriptive as you can. Avoid phrases like “make it look better”, or “make it work better” – be as detailed as you can and try and describe why your suggestion would help improve the product – it helps developers gain a better understanding of the users of the product. The more detailed your feedback is – the more actionable it will be.