The Windows 11 suggestions loop — what do customers need most?
Microsoft says it desires customers to weigh in with requests, strategies, and recommendation utilizing the built-in Feedback hub. But is that any solution to actually get Microsoft’s consideration?
In addition to complaining in regards to the {hardware} necessities for Windows 11, customers who provide neighborhood suggestions in regards to the OS primarily need two issues: a Taskbar menu that may be moved round and thumbnails for folders. Complaints and requests are straightforward to make; getting these pleas to the suitable individuals at Microsoft utilizing the Feedback hub is extra problematic.
As a reminder, Windows 11 has a centered Taskbar menu – that’s the default. (All prior variations of Windows had the menu to the left.) And as many have discovered since Windows 11’s launch final 12 months, educating an outdated laptop consumer new methods takes time. Fortunately, the Taskbar settings can be utilized to alter the alignment to the left. From the Windows 11 desktop, simply right-click any clean area within the taskbar after which choose Taskbar settings. In the suitable pane, click on Taskbar behaviors. Select the Taskbar alignment drop-down after which change it from heart to left.
[ Related: Windows 11 Insider Previews: What’s in the latest build? ]
As for thumbnails, anybody who makes use of their PC to retailer and stream paperwork, films, and music, is aware of it’s simpler to maintain issues organized when you may see what’s in a folder at a look. Windows 11 consumer Amy Brueckman lately identified on Twitter that, “Currently Windows 11 doesn’t help displaying thumbnails on folders.” She went on to tweet “…How am I supposed to know what’s in them without opening it?! Stupid change, Windows, stupid.” In response, Microsoft’s Jen Gentleman, who works on the Windows engineering staff and helps with suggestions for the Start menu, Settings, Taskbar, enter and extra, mentioned: “This is something we’re tracking in the feedback hub (WIN +F). If it’s important to you, please add your voice there.”
Ahhh, the suggestions hub — the place suggestions, requests, and concepts go to die, or not less than get misplaced. If you search within the hub, you’ll discover why Microsoft has a tough time monitoring points — lots of the suggestions objects are merely requests for technical assist. The suggestions hub is constructed into Windows 10 and 11; you will get to it by trying to find Feedback within the search field in your laptop. But it’s not a very good help venue, or for that matter, a superb suggestions mechanism. There is not any straightforward manner for purchasers to get “feedback” on their suggestions and no actual mechanism for Microsoft to get again to a consumer with details about their concern and whether or not something has been finished about it.
I not often see a strong suggestions put up that an engineer from Microsoft can act on. In truth, it’s a marvel that Microsoft will get any good suggestions in any respect from the Windows suggestions course of. This brings me to my level: The suggestions course of must be overhauled so Microsoft actually can get what it wants, as a substitute of the complicated tangle of rants, posts, feedback, and unknown objects it’s getting now.
I’ve typically requested customers to open a suggestions merchandise to make sure Microsoft has details about some bug or subject the consumer desires fastened. It’s not onerous: to present suggestions, you click on on Search, then on Feedback, then enter the details about the bug. And but, I lately noticed a Windows 11 suggestions merchandise that appears just like the keys on the keyboard obtained caught; the title on the merchandise merchandise was “.bmlkvnmvmlkmlkhmkcmb.” It seemed to be a few bug involving Network and Internet and connecting to Wi-Fi. (Microsoft responded, “We got this feedback.” Here’s hoping its engineers can perceive the issue.)
Microsoft
A latest Windows 11 suggestions merchandise.
Jan Nedoma, a Windows Insider consumer, identified to Microsoft that even when suggestions is “upvoted,” customers don’t get a lot details about the standing of their bug. As Nedoma identified on Twitter, that results in loads of offended customers. In case you’re questioning, essentially the most upvoted merchandise is a request to “update the Windows 11 taskbar to support never combining app icons and showing labels.” Yet there’s no indication from Microsoft about any curiosity in making that change.
Further complicating issues: for those who’re not on the Windows Insider program, you’re typically unable to view or upvote bugs which were reported. If you need to weigh in on this particular bug (https://t.co/0rzWgZsCwg), for example, you should be within the Insider program to take action. This is an annoying subject that I’ve tracked because the Insider program first began. If you open a Microsoft account with out Insider entry, you may’t entry bugs opened by Insiders and visa versa. Many instances I’ve requested individuals to “upvote” a bug, solely to seek out they couldn’t as a result of we’re not in the identical program. That means I’ve to arrange duplicate bug experiences (one for Insiders, the opposite for non-Insiders) and ask that each bugs be “upvoted.” That’s an inefficient solution to search suggestions.
Microsoft introduced that it plans to make use of the Insider developer channel to check ideas, even some that will by no means be launched. Specifically, it plans to launch “features and experiences that may never get released, as we try out different concepts and get feedback. It is important to remember that the builds we release to the Dev Channel should not be seen as matched to any specific release of Windows and the features included may change over time, be removed, or replaced in Insider builds or may never be released beyond Windows Insiders to general customers.”
The backside line is that Windows 11 may be very a lot nonetheless a piece in progress. Patches are nonetheless being launched to repair what I name “core bugs” of efficiency. Long-term design adjustments are nonetheless being made. Here’s hoping that Microsoft can some day present suggestions on our suggestions to make Windows 11 higher for all.
