Microsoft Asks Users to Call Windows 10 Devs About ALT+TAB Feature
By
Lawrence Abrams
March 11, 2019
Microsoft has started to display notifications in the Windows 10 Action Center
asking users to have a phone call with Microsoft developers and provide direct
feedback about the ALT+TAB feature in Windows.
While using a Windows 10 Insider build today, I was shown a Feedback Hub
notification stating that "Microsoft wants to hear your opinions! To set up a
phone call with Windows engineers, go to: http://www.aka.ms/alttab". This link ;
then redirects to a web page at https://ux.microsoft.com/?AltTab
It is not known if this is only being shown to Windows Insiders users at this
time.
When users visit this link they will be shown a Microsoft User Research page
stating that a Windows 10 product team is looking to "understand our customer
needs" and would like to have an anonymous 5-10 minute phone call with the user.
Microsoft User Research page for ALT+TAB Feature
In this particular case, the phone call will be with Microsoft engineers to
discuss how users use the ALT+TAB feature to switch between apps. Microsoft
states they are performing these calls in order to get a better understanding
of how a feature is being used while they are in development.
"Your feedback is important to us. As we develop new software and services,
it’s critical that we get feedback from customers who use our products.
Hearing from you early in the development cycle helps us make changes to our
products and test them before release.
Early customer interactions ensure we hit the mark with features. The time you
spend with us today can improve our products for users around the world."
According to the web site, Windows engineers will be available on 3/11/2019
between 11:15 AM and 1:00 PM PST and on 3/12/2019 between 9:30 AM and 11:30
AM PST to schedule a call. The page goes on to say that users can expect a 5-10
minute call, but that it could last longer if there is more to discuss.
They also state that the calls are not being recorded, are anonymous, and the
content of the call will not be stored.
When researching this notification, I ran into a
Reddit thread
where a user received a similar notification over the weekend. Jen Gentleman,
a Community Manager and Software Engineer at Microsoft, stated that these
notifications are a new program being piloted that gives engineers the ability
to talk to users in real time about features they are working on.
This is not the first time that Microsoft has asked Windows 10 users to call
engineers. In February 2019, Microsoft also asked used to contact them regarding
the Windows Update feature.
