Online website for users to test new ArcGIS Features

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05-27-2011 06:10 AM
Status: Open
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DavidWheelock
Occasional Contributor III

Would you like the opportunity to review NEW features in ArcGIS and tell ESRI what you think of them BEFORE they're imposed on you in the next release?

 

Let's have an online website or webinars where users can view mock-ups and/or test new ArcGIS Features before release to beta.  I think it could save hours of headaches later on.

 

Why am I suggesting this?  Read below:
I agree that the redesigned table display is the worst new feature in ArcGIS 10.
See these ideas on Ideas.arcgis.com for details:

Allow attribute table tab to open in a new window in ArcGIS 10
https://community.esri.com/ideas/2283

 

How did this happen?  Did ESRI test or focus-group this with users to see if they LIKED IT?

 

Please give users the opportunity to review major new changes before they are released.  It would give us the opportunity to weed out the problem features before they are inflicted on us.

4 Comments
DavidWheelock
LIVE Online Focus Groups for New Features

Change can be good, but change can also be bad.

How about this?  ESRI should have LIVE Online Focus Groups for new features while they're still in the proposal/design/development phase.  Advertise it like the LIVE webinars.  Let the actual developers demonstrate a new feature and allow users to comment and make suggestions, exactly like the webinars.

Give the users a Boo!  button and a Yea! button, ;), or a scale to rate the new feature.

This sounds like an exciting idea!

I'll bet it would have avoided the whole table-display fiasco!  :)
FrankVeldhuis1
The beta site of the new features would be great!  What if the beta version was only available to users with admin priviledges. 
FrankVeldhuis1
A simple email notifying us when a change is going to take place would be helpful. I have to follow change management, why not ESRI.
CPoynter

From past experience, even if we get thousands of votes for this idea (which is a top suggestion), if ESRI technical staff find it too difficult to implement, these great ideas never see the light of day unfortunately.