[That's overdoing it a bit maybe? Read my last article, titled "I Hate Lotus Notes, part 1: Adding contacts to Sametime" and let me know what you think.]
One thing I do love is software. I am a hardcore software junkie. I am a power user in every sense of the word. I eat software for desert. I’m not a developer though, I can’t actually make software, in so many words. But I do really enjoy making software better. I’ve spent a lot of time over the years doing this in fact. I remember once…I guess I was in middle school with my little C-64. I played the heck out of some games back then like Castle Wolfenstein. I remember downloading just tons of software back in the day over a painfully slow modem connection, then wearing it out. Actually, I guess I literally did wear out that old model 1541 5.25″ floppy disk drive. 
Anyway–the point–there is one. Computers in general and software in particular–those are my hobbies. Getting a chance to talk to the Product Manager for Lotus Notes is like a sports fan getting a signed MLB baseball. Well, not the home team. 
But it’s still cool! I was extremely impressed at how professional he was and how he really took my criticism in stride. I told him that I’ve got a serious Microsoft slant and he actively wants my point-of-view on his software. I’m more than just happy to help out, I would LOVE to help out.
So that’s just what I’m going to do. Next week I plan on grabbing the final (non-beta) Notes 8 bits and giving it a real thrashing, like I always do. For everything negative I can think of, I’m gonna back it up with WHY I don’t like it and how I think it could be improved. I think I’m pretty good at doing this, and I hope that someone on the receiving end in the Lotus group can appreciate my words for what they are meant to be–constructive criticism.
I may or may not end up making the review public, I need to feel things out a bit more before I make that decision. We shall see.
[...] Be sure to read my follow up article, I LOOOOOOOVE Lotus Notes! [...]
I dare say this little “lapse” in professional judgement may in the end provide a rather unique (pun intended) opportunity to benefit Notes and all of us who love her too.
As a person who *does* make software, at least the kind specifically based on Notes, I cannot overstate the value of insightful, clear, incisive, but most importantly constructive user feedback. Far from being offended, I recognize and share the user’s desire to make the application better. Too often, users either are not provided a way to offer feedback of this sort, or are too lazy or timid to do so. Your lack of shyness is a good thing to the extent you’re not simply ranting, and its clear you’re not.
As your conversation with Ed demonstrates, there is a similar appreciation for quality feedback among your Lotus colleagues. As for making that feedback public here on your blog, I don’t see how any constructive feedback of the sort you’ve committed to can do anything but good. I am particularly interested in hearing ideas you may have to improve Notes that stem from your familiarity with other software, be it Outlook, WordPress, or whatever. So please, don’t get shy now
.
[ed. pasting this comment in, Merry ran into my spam-prevention
software. Oops.]
On 8/20/07, merry_morse@us.ibm.com wrote:
Hello Hal,
I am a member of the Lotus User Experience team. Our team consists of
product designers, user researchers, usability specialists, information
developers, strategic designers, and UI developers. All those job titles
add up to a group that exists to make the best user experience we can.
We work closely with product managers and the development teams to get
this done.
My job is to run programs to get all that feedback – both from people
who use our products and from people who don’t. Our goal is to make our
current users happier and to win over those who don’t like our products.
So, the opportunity to get your feedback on the shipped version of Notes
8 is exactly what we are looking for. We know we can’t get it right all
at once, so we’re now looking at what we need to do in “Notes.Next.”
In designing Notes 8, we talked to thousands of Notes customers and
non-customers (many MS Outlook devotees) to hear what they wanted and
what they thought of our new features and UI. We did this throughout the
development process. In fact, Mary Beth Raven, the lead Notes designer,
started a blog early on to get unabashed feedback on almost everything
we worked on in the Notes Client UI. If you haven’t seen her blog,
please visit it here and start to comment away – we’re now working on
the next version and we’ll want your help:
http://www-03.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/marybeth
In your paragraph about looking at the shipping version of Notes 8 and
writing up your suggestions you say “…I hope that someone on the
receiving end in the Lotus group can appreciate my words for what they
are meant to be–constructive criticism.” Well, we’re all ears and now is
an optimal time to get that feedback.
We have an eager design and user research team in the process of
gathering that information as I write this. I will contact you to see
how best to set this up.
Merry