Windows 8: Consumer Insight

User interface issues Based on user feedback given to Microsoft and messages found in various postings, it is safe to say that many people are not happy with the green colored Metro UI theme. People want the ability to customize the theme with a color of their choice rather than being accustomed to a preselected color. The forums are full of messages where people are demanding a workaround to change the theme color. Application issues People are complaining that Weather, Paint play, News and other applications will not start. Control panel and internet explorer are the only two applications that can be launched currently at low resolutions. A minimum of 1280×800 resolution is needed to run the other applications. Many people have complained that the Metro applications are demanding very high resolutions and do not launch when clicked. Developers are suggesting different theories and workarounds across different forums and sites. In case of apps that do not work, developers recommend switching Windows Live ID to a local ID, reboot the computer and change the order in which applications execute. Other users are complaining that metro apps are consuming network resources and have login issues. Device support issues As with any new operating system, incompatible drivers are causing issues in Windows 8. Printers, scanners, copiers, graphic cards are not being recognized due to improper device drivers. Sometimes the devices are recognized but they fail to deliver all functions. Installation issues Some people are unable to install Windows 8 as the installation fails midway citing unavailability of critical drivers. According to Microsoft officials, such users should re-download the ISO file since it may have corrupted during the download process. Antimalware issues The biggest fear among developers is that Windows 8 should offer a secure and stable environment for data storage and application execution. With secure boot, Windows 8 may have prevented malware execution prior to loading OS, but users are expecting strong malware protection from Windows Defender and other prebuilt security programs. Consumer insight Microsoft s sole purpose was to enlighten the developers regarding application development for the new platform by releasing a developer preview. With a large number of bugs being reported, I certainly hope Microsoft’s strategy does not backfire. The users should understand that the current release is not the final shipped product. Microsoft has adopted an approach similar to Google (Google plus) in releasing a pre-beta version and made it available to millions of consumers in the form of free download. If you have an MSDN account and if you encountered bugs during Windows 8 installation process, you can submit an official bug report to MSDN. Microsoft’s cunning approach to conduct free usability testing is actually working and all we can hope is that Windows 8 emerges as a well-finished product after all the hassles faced by consumers.]]>