14 DAY TRIAL // Since Windows 9 Preview is going to be an early version of the next Windows operating system, it’s only natural to expect that some of the features will not be finished, with Microsoft obviously hoping that those who actually deploy this version will actually send back feedback to help it polish the software.
And as Neowin is posting today, the very first Windows 9 beta will come with lots of feedback options on pretty much every single feature of the operating system, so surveys asking you to tell Microsoft what you think about some options will be everywhere you look.
Basically, these surveys will say, “Please share your feedback with Microsoft about [feature name],” with a text field requiring users to provide a details description of their interactions with a certain operating system feature.
Testers are then asked to reveal whether they have been successful in using the feature, with answers allowing them to choose “Yes,” “No,” and “Not Sure.” Giving details about ease of use, speed and other general questions is also part of the survey, the source adds, with Microsoft expecting you to rate each category on a scale of 1 to 5.
Why is this data important? Pretty much because the feedback that Microsoft receives is supposed to help the company refine the experience in modern Windows and improve the operating system before it hits the market in stable form.
At the same time, depending on the answers you give to these surveys, you will also receive new features as part of the testing program, as Microsoft is trying to divide testers in user subsets that would receive only certain updates. These surveys will help the company do that and send specific features only to users needing them, thus making sure that feedback will continue to be provided.
Windows 9 Preview will receive new features and improvements through a new update mechanism that won’t require users to perform clean installations of the operating system, thus making everything simpler and faster.
Of course, all these surveys will be removed from the final product, but it’s not yet clear whether the company is looking to stick to the same user subsets to deliver updates in Windows 9.
What’s the most important, however, is the company’s intention to listen to customer feedback, which is proof that Satya Nadella’s promise that Microsoft is going to become obsessed with the user is becoming real. It remains to be seen, however, how consumer-shaped Windows 9 is actually going to be.