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I also practice CDD. But my experience is that few people complain. Maybe 1 out of 20. The rest silently endure a bad UI, walk away from the app without comme

by andyl 13y ago

I also practice CDD. But my experience is that few people complain. Maybe 1 out of 20. The rest silently endure a bad UI, walk away from the app without comment, or badmouth the app to their trusted friends. Complainers have to be cultivated. Complainers can be your most valuable asset.

mtrimpe 13y ago
I have one tip for you: grovel. I've found that people don't respond unless they know that you really, really, really care. That's why most of my support emails include lines like "We're here to support you in any way we can so if you run into any problems whatsoever please let us know," or "We'll do everything we can to help you achieve X, so please don't hesitate to contact us if we can help in any way." I've found that anything less strongly worded than that comes across as formality rather than a sincere offer.
- npsimons 13y ago
  This goes even for employees of established organizations who don't interface with customers: don't wait for your yearly appraisal; be asking for feedback, always look for ways to improve, and try not to get defensive.
hngiszmo 13y ago
1 in 20 complains??? That is actually a great number. My assumption for my products is really really not a 1/20 thing. My estimates are rather that a crash bug will be reported by 1/100. The others will just down-vote my android-app and uninstall. My estimation is based on broken design on square displays and on Thai font issues that I was made aware of far too late. On the other hand I give instant feedback and keep a relationship to any complainers that are my happiest customers now.
codinghorror 13y ago
True. Any complaints are already the tip of an iceberg you can't see. And the people complaining should be treated like your best friends: they cared enough to complain. Nobody else cared.
- FLUX-YOU 13y ago
  If you want to view a world where the physics of icebergs have only the tip under the water, take a look at gaming development and feedback. :)

by andyl 13y ago

mtrimpe 13y ago

I have one tip for you: grovel. I've found that people don't respond unless they know that you really, really, really care. That's why most of my support emails include lines like "We're here to support you in any way we can so if you run into any problems whatsoever please let us know," or "We'll do everything we can to help you achieve X, so please don't hesitate to contact us if we can help in any way." I've found that anything less strongly worded than that comes across as formality rather than a sincere offer.

npsimons 13y ago
This goes even for employees of established organizations who don't interface with customers: don't wait for your yearly appraisal; be asking for feedback, always look for ways to improve, and try not to get defensive.

hngiszmo 13y ago

1 in 20 complains??? That is actually a great number. My assumption for my products is really really not a 1/20 thing. My estimates are rather that a crash bug will be reported by 1/100. The others will just down-vote my android-app and uninstall. My estimation is based on broken design on square displays and on Thai font issues that I was made aware of far too late. On the other hand I give instant feedback and keep a relationship to any complainers that are my happiest customers now.

codinghorror 13y ago

True. Any complaints are already the tip of an iceberg you can't see. And the people complaining should be treated like your best friends: they cared enough to complain. Nobody else cared.

FLUX-YOU 13y ago
If you want to view a world where the physics of icebergs have only the tip under the water, take a look at gaming development and feedback. :)