Product Updates

Do we have a clue?

After any big release, we get a flurry of response... many sing our praises as if we can do no wrong, but others wonder if we have a clue.  We hear:

  • Why are you replacing things that already work?  Search, People List, Add Household, Contacts
  • When you replace things, some things improve but on others we feel like we take a step backwards. 

My latest video seeks to give you an answer to these questions, check it out here -> Do we have a clue?

 

Published Friday, February 15, 2008 4:10 PM by CurtisHarris

Comments

 

Dan Lott said:

Thanks for the honest update.  We look forward to the next release that corrects the key problems. As you implement features whether we are a casual or regular user scrolling or clicking costs time.  Please keep the look and feel efficient.

February 15, 2008 12:02 PM
 

rguilliams said:

I realize this is a month old but I have a few comments after watching the video.

1. In the first part of the video you repeatedly talk about making things "pretty". I know, or at least I sincerely hope, that you were not just speaking of the aesthetic beauty of the program. One of the perceptions that my users have gotten over the past couple of years of using the program and seeing updates is that F1 is more concerned with making the program "prettier" than with making it more functional. All that to say, I would suggest a more careful choice of words when talking about improvements to the program.

2. Toward the end of the video you make the statement "If you've been a customer for a long time you know that every year we do get better. We improve gradually and we're making some good moves there." As a customer for just over 2 years I have to say that we can't really agree with this statement. We have seen changes to the program yes, but overall these changes have had, at best, a minor impact on the functionality of the program as we use it. Several things that have been talked about and promised for over 2 years have still not materialized.

3. I understand that you are rebuilding elements of the program in order to add requested functionality, but by rolling these elements out piecemeal in the manner you have been, sometimes causing users to feel that you are moving backwards, you are hurting the credibility of the program. If you are going to totally rebuild the program, do it on a test server, get all the pieces working, and then launch the new product as a whole. Don't give the users little tastes that don't really work completely yet and say "This is going to be so cool when we get it finished." Just get it finished.

March 17, 2008 12:30 PM
 

CurtisHarris said:

In response to rguilliams,

1) perhaps I should have said "easier to use"; that was my meaning

2) I can certainly agree that our road map hasn’t materialized as quickly as we have all hoped; I share the frustration.  Unfortunately this is the reality of development and as we strive to improve upon the way code is built, the timeline takes a hit.  I’m not sure what the promises are that were made, but I know that as for myself I work hard at clarifying any road map as being our “current focus” on priorities, but not necessarily the end game; I also try to be careful to steer clear of actual dates.  I’m sure that 2008 will be a fantastic year for feature improvements, but I would advise that you are careful when considering our development goals relative to your internal needs.  As our sales department is reminded, since they get a lot of exposure to our road map, “sell what’s on the boat”.

3) Absolutely agree, that is the reason for this post… we made some mistakes in the release that did cause some pain; this is one thing we are striving to improve upon.

Thanks for the honest feedback, I look forward to improving your perception of us in the future.

March 17, 2008 2:39 PM
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