14 DAY TRIAL // Do you have a healthy appetite for music? Are you ready, willing and able to let Microsoft test that appetite? Well, then you are in a world of luck because the Microsoft User Research is looking for "guinea pigs", oops, I mean both hard-core and casual music listeners, in order to answer a simple question: "How do you listen to music?" While the conclusion from Microsoft's inquiry is bound not to share the foundation of the world, you will have a chance to influence upcoming technology from the Redmond company. And get a little something-something while you are at it.
"I always enjoy recruiting for music-related studies since just about everyone connects with music on some level or another. The good thing about this one is that we're looking for a variety of profiles - hard core types who have enough music to fill multiple devices to people who just listen in the car or listen to CDs occasionally. The hard-core spots usually fill up quickly - it's the casual listeners that can be harder to convince that we really do want to hear what they have to say", revealed Andrew Nickels - Recruiting Project Manager for Microsoft User Research.
Nickels did not disclose the actual number of testers that Microsoft is looking for, so you'd better hurry and drop him an email if you're interested. There are, of course, a few conditions in order to participate, such as being an U.S. citizen over 18, not affiliated in any way with the company, and able to take a trip to the Redmond campus on the next couple of weeks. Testers will participate in a two-hour research study, where they will be able to play with the latest in Microsoft technology, as well as provide feedback. And don't worry, you won't be doing it for free, the company has a few treats instored for you, including free copies of Windows Vista.
"You'll get to take a look at new technology and give feedback that can influence the look, feel, and functionality for millions of future users. In addition, we'll give you your choice of a retail Microsoft software product from a list of our most popular products including Office 2007, Windows Vista, and much more", Nickels added.