How much does MS consider user feedback?

[Colonel Travis]

I got to be an Office 2010 TPer, and right after they launched it I sent MS feedback about some stuff. Also added - "I know no one there is going to read this but here's my feedback...." Not only did I get an email from someone at MS who said, "Yes, we actually read the feedback", I think they implemented one of my suggestions. Could not freaking believe it. The new feature was for OneNote, to be able to right click and paste more than just text, like photos and other files, which you could not do in 2007.

Before I get carried away with this, let me say that hypothetical influencing a right-click for anything isn't the grandest thing on the planet. Nevertheless, it would be kinda cool to be able to say such a thing when you're dealing with a behemoth like MS.

I assume I could not have been the only TPer who suggested this, and/or maybe MS was planning it all along. Plus even though I did not notice the new right-click options before I sent feedback, there's always the possibility I missed it. But I could have sworn they were not there because it was one of the first 2010 changes I looked for. It was soon after my feedback (I don't even think it was more than a day) that I saw the new right-click paste options. The email from MS didn't say whether they made the change because of feedback, only thing it said was that they read it.

OK, so:
1.) Did MS make changes to office TP via Windows Update like they did with 7 beta? Can't go back and check because I erased my HD before installing the real 7 last week. Don't know why I never bothered to check when I could have.

2.) Has anyone here sent feedback to MS for any software, then seen a request granted and/or gotten an email from MS about it?

The fact that a behemoth like MS even sent an email is impressive enough, I sent a lot of stuff for 7 beta and never heard anything. Of course they had a gazillion more beta users than Office TPers.

 

[gregrocker]

You can interact with their developers on Technet forums, or on the specific blogs for their projects like Win7. They give attention to things which interest them and will often start a dialogue.

Even the excellent MS tech support gave me unbelieveable amounts of time (sometimes overnights) with the purchase of a single retail copy of XP, teaching me clean reinstalls, overcoming bloatware, optimization, virus hunting, debugging, and much more for several years' time - all for $99!

What has most impressed me in my experience with MS is how they interact with learning, prize it, nurture it. They have been some of my best teachers.

So it really shouldnt be a surprise that they finally hit it so right with what may be the greatest creation since the computer itself, Windows 7. But I'm still dazzled.

 

[seekermeister]

1.) As far as I know, Office and other MS programs are not updated by the default update settings. I just noticed that there was a link in Windows Update setting to update other MS programs, so I clicked on it, and after a EULA, it had a dialog to install Windows Updates, which seemed rather odd, since it is already installed. It required a reboot, and when I went back to check, it had 2 updates that hadn't shown up before, for Visual C++ 2008 redistributal. I would have thought that would normally come through normal updates, but I guess not.

In any case, unless you already had this set on your computer, I don't believe that Office would have been updated.

 

[antt]

installing office adds it to the list of windows updates. so when windows update runs, it searches for office updates too. it will download things like office service pack 2 and all the updated help files for 2007.
not sure if 2010TP has updates, but it might do as the windows 7 beta did.

 

[Barman58]

I have always found Microsoft to be very responsive on closed Beta tests or TP's. Understandably I think, they are less so on public beta tests, but I believe they do take notice of feedback even when they do not specifically reply.

When I am involved in a public Beta I always opt-in into any additional monitoring that is available as I think that this will improve the end product - I also provide feedback manually when I come across any issues

 

[MrJukes]

Engineering Windows 7 : Some Changes Since Beta for the RC

A large chunk of the items in that list were based on customer feedback and that is just a small example compiled by one of our PMs. During taskbar development we received and acted on tons of user feedback from both internal and external sources.