One of the things that my team is working on is the next version of the workflow designer. In order to help us get real feedback, we engaged with our usability teams to design and execute a usability study. For details on what the test looks like (when we did them 3 years ago for the first version of the WF designer, see this great channel9 video ). The setup is still the same (one way glass mirror, cameras tracking the face, screen, posture of the subject), the only difference is the software, we're busy testing out some new concepts to make workflow development much more productive. At this stage of the lifecycle, we're really experimenting with some different designer metaphors, and a usability test is a great way to get real feedback. One thing I've always tried to do since I came to Microsoft is being sucked into the Redmond bubble. The symptoms of placement inside said bubble are a gradual removal from the reality that everyday developers face. When I came to the company two years ago, I was chock full of great thoughts and ideas from the outside, and much less tolerant of the "well, that's just how it works" defense. Slowly, though, as you start to get deep into thinking about a problem, and tightly focusing on that problem, those concerns start to fade away, as you look to optimize the experience you are providing. Sitting in on the usability labs yesterday was a great reminder to me of how easily one can slip into
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