Software Quality, Usability and
Piracy.
Remember Those Days.
Do
you recall the days not too long ago when software purchases
included user manuals. If you had a problem with it, return of the
software was a snap. The application actually lived up to its
advertised claims. You didn't have to be some kid who was breast
fed on Super Mario Brothers to intuitively know how to use it.
Soft Cover User Manuals.
Whoever's
brilliant concept it was to discontinue manuals within
retail delivery of software should probably consider several of
Glaxo SmithKline's psychotropic medications. The rest of the software
market should re–think their adherence to the “Lemming
Syndrome”.
Software
delivery and distribution should
consider various methods. Those methods should target specific markets
based upon needs of the market. For example, electronic distribution is
ideal for small applications. Larger and more complex applications can
use this type of distribution for those users who are well versed in the
application. Software distribution should consider hard retail sales with
SKUs that are targeted for
the experience level of the customer.
For
example, an Adobe application should have three primary versions
for retail purchase. One for each targeted group: beginner, intermediate
and experienced users. The differentiation of these versions should not be
within the features of the application but should be within the ancillary
support supplied within the specific version. Each specific version is supplied
with varying degrees of thoroughness and detail within printed manuals and
within instructional tutorials. Technical support levels, with cost
built into the retail price, should also be designed for the targeted
market.
Pricing
structure of the various versions should look at value breakpoints
for each targeted group and amortization of production, marketing and merchandising
costs over the entire application product line and its life cycle.
Think
outside of the box but supply a feature rich
and value added "box".
Published Telephone Numbers and Ease of Technical
Support.
Don't
you just love the phone queues, the long waits, the press this button
bullshit. Then after going through all of that, you get some offshore monkey
who doesn't understand the language you speak, is totally ignorant and then
attempts to talk down to you for the purpose of trying to save his/her importance.
To add insult to injury, they ask for credit card information to charge you.
Technical
support is a value added reason to
purchase software. As the current state of the art of technical support exists,
it doesn't provide much of a reason to consider that anything supplied with the
software application nor the software itself is value added.
It Installed and Worked.
Software application companies seem to forget the benefit of test, test, test
and re–test. They let the market test the final application for them and then
decide to let the market wait a year for updates to those issues. Their operating
strategy is that we will call this a final release, place it out there and let
the customer beta test the product.
They,
also, have forgotten that if it isn't broken, don't be trying to fix it.
They seem to believe that inclusion of a feature that is better
performed by an independent stand–alone application, is a good thing.
Then
the coolest of features of all, the “Take Over and Conquer”
approach to the customer's computer. They presume we are all idiots, that they
know best on how our computer should operate and then they load up the registry
and processes with useless crap.
Software
companies should take a lesson from NASA
that the software application has to work. It has to work because someone has
thousands of tons of thrust strapped to their ass and it cannot fail.
They Gave a Damn.
I
recall, for example, the times when you would cancel your America Online
account and within a day or so, you would get a telephone call from Steve Case.
He genuinely wanted your input on the service, how it needed improved, the reasons
you canceled the account and what needed to be done to get your business back.
What
would be wrong with the concept of assigning a
customer rep/technical support specialist for each customer. One rep team can be assigned
blocks of registered users based upon the customer's level of expertise, type of support
calls made in the past and the frequency of such calls. Software companies
do enough data mining. They should put that to some constructive use.
Piracy.
Software
companies have forgotten passion, hunger, the need to excel, fear
and the perspectives and needs of their customer. They have and are failing to
adapt.
Until
then, for example, a lot of consumers will learn
to say, “Hardware BIOS
Emulation”. Go cry in your own milk, kids. Do not try to cry in mine.
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Summary.
Until
software companies decide to get back to truly
functional applications that are built for the consumer, piracy rates will continue
to climb. Perhaps, the software companies have worked hard and asked for this problem.
They have earned it.
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If you have any questions regarding Quality and Piracy, please
e-Mail that boinkin guy.
End of the Software Quality, Usability and Piracy Content.
.
Microsoft.
Gates and Company lost perspective years ago. They have forgotten
the culture they had back in the early days when they were creating
some tremendous applications for Apple. Excel and Word got their start
on the Apple.
Somewhere along the line, they started buying into their own hype.
Ballmer came along and pretty soon Microsoft started believing their
application was better than a competing application so therefore since they can't
kill the competitor, they will shove their own product down the user's throat. It is just an offshoot of
that grade school juvenile philosophy of “My dad can beat up your dad.”.
A little fear, a little hunger, a need to excel, reasons to have lived a little
humility are all good things. That, however, has to be coupled with the knowledge that
the moment you lose the fear, it will be the day some young kid, figuratively [in certain
environments, literally], pops out of the bush with an AK–47 and places a round square
into your chest.
Those who believe they are omnipotent or elite, should take note.
Adobe.
I have never been one to make support calls. Over a twenty year period, I have
probably made a total of ten software support calls. When I have made them, I have
always had expectation and demand that the issue be resolved.
Adobe never let me down. It has been at least twelve years since my last call to
Adobe. It was always a pleasure to deal with them. It was fun, too. They had the
ability to care, to get the problem resolved and if needed, escalate the issue
immediately to an engineer who always followed through quickly. Adobe's culture
just seemed to rock and roll.
Through it all, Adobe understood that calls placed to tech support would be, more than
likely, the only human interaction they would have with a customer. I always came away
wanting to support their products and company. They had earned it.
I think about, every now and then, of calling Adobe tech support if for no other
reason than to see if they are still doing the same. Two things have prevented me.
One, there hasn't been a truly justifiable need. Two, and more importantly, I just
don't want to be disappointed if they have changed.