Wish Windows 10 was better in some way? Microsoft is opening Feedback Hub, used during Windows 10’s beta release to gather user comments, to every Windows 10 user.
Previously the application was only available to Windows Insider members, PC World is reporting, but it’s now in the Windows Store and available for all users to download. Microsoft seemingly wants more feedback in the lead-up to its Windows Anniversary Edition release this summer.
If you’re using Windows 10, there is already a program on your computer called Windows Feedback. This is little more than a forum in which users can point out issues they’ve had and upvote other users’ posts. Think of it as a version of Reddit where no one talks about anything but potential improvements to Windows.
Feedback Hub is different. Sure, it offers the same feedback section that’s seen in Windows Feedback, but with a much easier to browse interface. There are also links to the Get Started app, which offers a Windows 10 tutorial, and a link for joining Windows Insider.
“Provide feedback about Windows and apps by sharing your suggestions or problems,” the app’s description reads. “If you want to be even more involved, then join the Windows Insider program and keep up with the latest alerts and announcements, rate the builds, participate in feedback Quests, and earn badges.”
That’s right: If you’re a Windows Insider member, the program also offers feedback quests and other gamifiction features. Users can earn badges that prove they did volunteer labor for a for-profit enterprise.
On the forum, Microsoft employees acknowledge issues, which probably makes users feel better, and are presumably working on fixes, which is probably the most important thing.
Scrolling through the problems, you’ll probably learn some empathy for the Microsoft employees who need to sort through this all. Some desperate users are already using this bug-reporting feature for tech support. One user’s issue: “WHERE IS MY EMAIL ADRESS (sic) BOOK PLEASE,” with no further detail. This had 211 upvotes at the time of this writing.
With luck, someone will help that person out, and hopefully Microsoft gets enough good feedback to make this all worth it.
