5 ms·

Anyone here work at Microsoft that can explain how anyone at the company thought this was a good idea? Seriously. I'm genuinely confused. MS never had the best

Anyone here work at Microsoft that can explain how anyone at the company thought this was a good idea? Seriously. I'm genuinely confused. MS never had the best UI (hello MS Word toolbars) but those happened over time through attrition and added features. This is one of many intentional user-hostile experiences.

dbalatero 3y ago
I'm sure some combination of incentives created this; I wonder which ones.
- thih9 3y ago
  My bet is on both: - “Let’s make decisions based on metrics”, and - “Let’s gather even more metrics”. In any case it was not acting in the user’s best interest.
  - _Algernon_ 3y ago
    - Let's make decisions based on this $PROXY_METRIC for $IMPORTANT_BUSINESS_METRIC. - People now have to paperclip-optimize $PROXY to get a promotion. - $PROXY becomes less and less reflecting of $IMPORTANT_BUSINESS_METRIC. Repeat ad nauseam.
bonton89 3y ago
I think you answered your own question with the admission that is one of many intentional user-hostile experiences. Most people put up with the other stuff so why would they stop?
itslennysfault 3y ago
I don't work at Microsoft (anymore) and never worked on this project, but I can pretty confidently say it went like this... Some exec: "Why are people quitting OneDrive?" Some PM: "I don't know." Some exec: "We should do an exit poll." ...time passes Some exec: "Why are people quittin OneDrive?" Some PM: "Those that answer say ____, but a lot of people don't answer the exit poll." Some exec: "We should force them to answer" Some PM: "Fine." /scene
- dylan604 3y ago
  Any time I am forced to reply to one of these, it is never pleasantly worded.
  - kstrauser 3y ago
    "Huh, seems like 97% of the freeform text entry boxes contain profanity."
    - oriettaxx 3y ago
      exactly!
      - dylan604 3y ago
        this is definitely one of those "well, they were asking for it" defense situations. literally. they provided me a free form text box asking for my opinion. only an ID10T would expect anything less
    - slig 3y ago
      I usually reply with `undefined` or `null`.
  - technothrasher 3y ago
    Every time I have to do a new Windows install, where they now force you into entering a Microsoft account, they get a new account added to their database that is some variation of [InsertSwearHere]@[MoreSwears].com so I can finish the install, create a local account, and delete the forced account from the machine.
    - helloooooooo 3y ago
      You’re really showing it to the man! Way to go!
    - noinsight 3y ago
13of40 3y ago
I used to work at Microsoft, so I can field this one: The answer is that they want to gather data about how to improve OneDrive so people continue to use it. The PM who owns OneDrive adoption probably has to talk to a slide in a regular status meeting, and someone up the chain keeps asking pointed questions about why the curve is less than exponential. The fact that they disabled the button until you pick an answer isn't malice, it's just shitty design. In time that PM will learn and grow.
- kwhitefoot 3y ago
  No, it's malice. No one who gets into such a position can be that unaware. Malice comes in small ways too, not caring how your shitty design impacts people is a form of malice.
  - _Algernon_ 3y ago
    If a single person in an organization does something malicious, question them. If many people in an organization do something malicious, question the incentives.
  - otikik 3y ago
    > No one who gets into such a position can be that unaware I have some stories. Unfortunately I can’t share the juicy details because there’s a microscopic possibility of them putting me in jail. But yes they exist.
  - 13of40 3y ago
    Not to put too fine a point on it, but this behavior changes one mouse click on a rarely used workflow into three. The only reason people are getting upset about it - the only impact, as you put it - is the cognitive load of providing a reason when they just want the computer to shut up and do what they asked. I don't believe that was intended to attack anyone, it was just a misunderstanding about how it would be received.
    - ParetoOptimal 3y ago
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
dmurray 3y ago
I was sure the answer would be "most/all of the options don't actually quit OneDrive, but bring you to some 'help' page where it explains why you don't need to quit OneDrive", and MS wants you running OneDrive all the time for reasons".
readyplayernull 3y ago
I used to work at a company whose recent TOS changes infuriated their own comunity, and while I was there we received lots of insults thru the crash reporter. I'm sure the people who devise those polls and feedback don't care at all, and these are there just for statistics, in the best case a sort of passive alarm that there is a fire somewhere. What they care about is that feature will be noticed internally and that they get pulled up in the company hierarchy.
nirav72 3y ago
>anyone at the company thought this was a good idea I've been wondering about that since the day I noticed that they include the Xbox app on the enterprise version of Windows 10 and 11.

dbalatero 3y ago

I'm sure some combination of incentives created this; I wonder which ones.

thih9 3y ago
My bet is on both: - “Let’s make decisions based on metrics”, and - “Let’s gather even more metrics”. In any case it was not acting in the user’s best interest.
- _Algernon_ 3y ago
  - Let's make decisions based on this $PROXY_METRIC for $IMPORTANT_BUSINESS_METRIC. - People now have to paperclip-optimize $PROXY to get a promotion. - $PROXY becomes less and less reflecting of $IMPORTANT_BUSINESS_METRIC. Repeat ad nauseam.

bonton89 3y ago

I think you answered your own question with the admission that is one of many intentional user-hostile experiences. Most people put up with the other stuff so why would they stop?

itslennysfault 3y ago

I don't work at Microsoft (anymore) and never worked on this project, but I can pretty confidently say it went like this... Some exec: "Why are people quitting OneDrive?" Some PM: "I don't know." Some exec: "We should do an exit poll." ...time passes Some exec: "Why are people quittin OneDrive?" Some PM: "Those that answer say ____, but a lot of people don't answer the exit poll." Some exec: "We should force them to answer" Some PM: "Fine." /scene

dylan604 3y ago
Any time I am forced to reply to one of these, it is never pleasantly worded.
- kstrauser 3y ago
  "Huh, seems like 97% of the freeform text entry boxes contain profanity."
  - oriettaxx 3y ago
    exactly!
    - dylan604 3y ago
      this is definitely one of those "well, they were asking for it" defense situations. literally. they provided me a free form text box asking for my opinion. only an ID10T would expect anything less
  - slig 3y ago
    I usually reply with `undefined` or `null`.
- technothrasher 3y ago
  Every time I have to do a new Windows install, where they now force you into entering a Microsoft account, they get a new account added to their database that is some variation of [InsertSwearHere]@[MoreSwears].com so I can finish the install, create a local account, and delete the forced account from the machine.
  - helloooooooo 3y ago
    You’re really showing it to the man! Way to go!
  - noinsight 3y ago

13of40 3y ago

I used to work at Microsoft, so I can field this one: The answer is that they want to gather data about how to improve OneDrive so people continue to use it. The PM who owns OneDrive adoption probably has to talk to a slide in a regular status meeting, and someone up the chain keeps asking pointed questions about why the curve is less than exponential. The fact that they disabled the button until you pick an answer isn't malice, it's just shitty design. In time that PM will learn and grow.

kwhitefoot 3y ago
No, it's malice. No one who gets into such a position can be that unaware. Malice comes in small ways too, not caring how your shitty design impacts people is a form of malice.
- _Algernon_ 3y ago
  If a single person in an organization does something malicious, question them. If many people in an organization do something malicious, question the incentives.
- otikik 3y ago
  > No one who gets into such a position can be that unaware I have some stories. Unfortunately I can’t share the juicy details because there’s a microscopic possibility of them putting me in jail. But yes they exist.
- 13of40 3y ago
  Not to put too fine a point on it, but this behavior changes one mouse click on a rarely used workflow into three. The only reason people are getting upset about it - the only impact, as you put it - is the cognitive load of providing a reason when they just want the computer to shut up and do what they asked. I don't believe that was intended to attack anyone, it was just a misunderstanding about how it would be received.
  - ParetoOptimal 3y ago

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

dmurray 3y ago

I was sure the answer would be "most/all of the options don't actually quit OneDrive, but bring you to some 'help' page where it explains why you don't need to quit OneDrive", and MS wants you running OneDrive all the time for reasons".

readyplayernull 3y ago

I used to work at a company whose recent TOS changes infuriated their own comunity, and while I was there we received lots of insults thru the crash reporter. I'm sure the people who devise those polls and feedback don't care at all, and these are there just for statistics, in the best case a sort of passive alarm that there is a fire somewhere. What they care about is that feature will be noticed internally and that they get pulled up in the company hierarchy.

nirav72 3y ago

>anyone at the company thought this was a good idea I've been wondering about that since the day I noticed that they include the Xbox app on the enterprise version of Windows 10 and 11.