Microsoft.com is not a website

wolfgke · on Oct 4, 2012

"And providing a ‘Feedback’ button may be a hint of what not to do.":

As a programmer it is not obvious to me why you shouldn't add a ‘Feedback’ button. So, dear UX designers, what is the reason for that?

bbx · on Oct 5, 2012

I'm sorry it wasn't clear. I actually added that sentence at the end without going further into that thought.

What a feedback button actually tells the user is: "We're not sure about our design, we haven't thought it through, so please help us improve it."

It is usually Ok for small websites, or startup websites, whose primary talent is not web design, to ask for advice. But you'd think Microsoft, of all software companies, could handle a single-page on the web without having to ask advice from random users.

Furthermore, I believe such a button hinders further development. It's like saying: "Ok, we've launched the new website, but we're not entirely convinced by the new direction. So, let's just wait for some feedback before actually going further."

I've never believed in design by consensus. Web design is not just 'graphics pleasing for the eye'. It's work, just like any other. And what you need, is experts, or at least, people who know what they're talking about. And Trent Walton is one of them.

I've always had issues with clients over trivial concerns, such as colors, fonts, button and logo sizes, etc. If someone hires me to do their web design, they've got to accept that I know what I'm doing. 'I've thought it out. Trust me.'

And a feedback button is giving credit to random people who probably don't know what they're talking about.

spartango · on Oct 5, 2012

While I agree with your sentiment--that design by consensus and indecisive design are bad--I'm not convinced that including a feedback button is a bad thing.

If it's well-placed and unobtrusive (doesn't flash "what do you think of our redesign?!") a feedback button serves the purpose of providing a bit more information about user pain-points. Keeping in mind that most users have too much inertia to hit a feedback button, when it is used you get reports of major frustrations. That could be a bug in a corner-case or browser you didn't test, or an accessibility issue.

So, I'd argue that quietly keeping a feedback button around is a good thing, and as developers it would be our responsibility to handle the feedback responsibly (filtering noise, distractions and unfixables).