10 million people now help Microsoft test Windows 10
Microsoft has significantly grown its user base of
dedicated Windows testers in recent years. At the launch of Windows 10,
nearly two years ago, the software giant had around 5 million testers
through its Windows Insider program. Windows Insiders could be your
neighbor down the street, your boss, or the barista that makes your
coffee in the morning. Anyone can sign up to test Windows 10, and now 10
million people are helping Microsoft refine and improve its operating
system.
It wasn’t always like this. Microsoft developed Windows 7
and even Windows 8 in relative secrecy, punishing people who leaked
early builds of Windows and keeping features hidden for months.
Microsoft has now embraced its fans who want to experience the bleeding
edge of Windows development, even if there are many rough edges and bugs
along the way.
In a LinkedIn post
highlighting Microsoft’s cultural shift, Yusuf Mehdi, who worked on the
disastrous Xbox One launch, reveals that the company has changed its
approach as a result of the feedback on its latest console. “My learning
is that you cannot create fans, you have to earn them,” explains Mehdi,
detailing how he now goes into every new product meeting with a simple
question: “How are our fans going to react?”
Embracing fans and opening up a development process to
public scrutiny hasn’t been easy for Microsoft. There’s a delicate
balance of surprise new features, and the problem of having something
out in the wild that’s too buggy for even the hardcore fans to work
with. Some would even accuse the software maker of receiving free labor,
especially in light of the company laying off a huge number of its
testing team for Windows in recent years. Despite the concerns, the
Windows Insider program seems to be succeeding. Microsoft has embraced a
culture of listening to feedback, and it has now managed to convince 10
million people to have a voice in something that more than 400 million
people use every day.
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