Feedback from MVPs is never soft-spoken. The MVPs who provided feedback were
mostly those who were using the beta. These include PPT MVP Echo Swinford,
who identified and documented more bugs than anyone else in the entire
Office beta (for those who don't know Echo, she's widely known around MS as
"the 'It sucks' lady"). But the number of Word MVPs is quite small in
proportion to the total number of Word users, and MS considers feedback from
a wide variety of sources, including large corporations with volume
licensing. In particular, many decisions were made based on CEIP data; those
who did not participate in CEIP could be argued to have only themselves to
blame, though, as mentioned here, CEIP data probably did not accurately
represent user customization.
MVPs are still providing outspoken feedback. We most recently did so at the
MVP Summit (March 12-15). And the product team *does* listen. But our
viewpoint is still a minority, no matter how vocal.
--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site:
http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.
"Larry" wrote in message
...
So that's it? MVPs have provided feedback in the past, and MS did not
heed
them, so the subject is closed and there's nothing to do but accept the
destruction of the Word interface?
I don't know anything about the relations of MVPs and Microsoft. But I
would guess that any feedback by MVPs during the testing period was on the
softspoken side. I would suggest that if MVPs as a group spoke out more
strongly now, really conveying the depth of unhappiness with Word 2007 and
how unacceptable it is, that there would at least be a chance that MS will
hear them and do something about it. It's the squeaky wheel that gets
greased. You have nothing to lose, and a great deal to gain, for
yourselves, and for all Word users.
Larry
something stronger is needed.
"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
Word MVPs have provided feedback to MS, individually and collectively,
throughout the development process. It's not as if this UI had burst
upon
an
unsuspecting world: Jensen Harris started documenting it in his blog
(http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/) in September 2005. The only thing that
will
change Microsoft's direction is massive failure of corporate America to
adopt the new version. But, given the reluctance of many corporations to
upgrade early in the product life cycle, it may take a while for this
failure to become evident.
--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup
so
all may benefit.
"Larry" wrote in message
...
Mark's points are so important, and are worth re-reading and thinking
about.
I especially like Number 5: It's as though the main purpose of Word
is
fancy functions to manage fancy documents, rather than the basic task
of
typing and editing text. MS, in its desire for innovation for the
sake
of
innovation, has lost sight of what most people spend their time doing
with
Word, which is typing, editing, and formatting text.
Based on the unhappiness expressed by several respected MVPs,
something
I've
never seen before in the eight years I've been frequenting the Word
newsgroups, I think there is a basis for some kind of collective
statement
or petition to Microsoft from the newsgroups, led by the MVPs,
pointing
out
the serious problems with Word 2007 and asking for a major retooling,
including restoring basic features that have been taken away like the
menus
and toolbars. Terry said his own requests and suggestions had been
rebuffed. But what if a bunch of MVPs and other interested Word users
spoke
together? We might not win, but Microsoft could not completely ignore
us
either. They would have to face the fact that intelligent people
deeply
interested in Word see serious problems here.
Word experts of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but your
Microsoft Office Button.
Larry
wrote in message
oups.com...
I don't find that to be true at all. I coach a firm of 55 employees
in 4 offices, most of whom were with the company when it switched
from
WP to Word a few weeks before I arrived, so their learning curve was
unpleasant. Naturally with that mindset they'd been adapting
slowly.
The two most critical things that appealed to them and uplifted
their
collective viewpoint were macros and keyboard shortcuts.
Once they were shown these things, they adored them, and were
unnerved
(often greatly) when a new or foreign PC didn't have them. Everyone
seems to appreciate keyboard shortcuts and the ability to remap
them.
(Most never use the Bold or Italic buttons anymore. It's just
easier
not to move your hand from the keyboard.) I placed a menu-building
add-in on each system to simplify over 70 procedures, often complex
ones that no average user would bother to do manually. It runs each
of these macros in 2 or 3 clicks or keystrokes, and the staff is now
in love with it. Word 2007 will slow or stifle this.
I think 5 concepts now being widely offered as fact are simply wrong
at base: (1) the average user is too dumb & lazy to want to improve
efficiency or reduce fatigue; (2) power users are close-minded
curmudgeons who are resistant to any change on general principle;
(3)
users as a whole are such utter sheep that everyone will eventually
submit to Microsoft's peverse rug-yank; (4) the ribbon is more
inherently more efficient than the menus; and (5) clicks or
keystrokes
that invoke commands are a significant part of the document-creating
or -editing experience. (They're not; most average users' time
spent
at the computer is used for typing or scrolling, not finding
specific
commands on menus or buttons. That much should be obvious.)
Word 2007 may look cute to newbies or amusing for the idle or self-
employed, but anyone who works in a standard office setting facing
normal concerns about deadlines and overhead will be hopelessly
injured if they upgrade.
I'm with Larry. I think 2007 is an abomination that invites revolt.
Yes, I'm a power user. Folks here seem almost willing to imply
that's
a bad thing.
Mark