Brian Shunamon from the USA sent us a message so on point that I asked him if I could record it and publish it. As an Information Technology professional with corporate clients, as well as a guy looked to for tech advice by friends and family, Brian addresses the concerns of our last several episodes on Microsoft’s customer experience mistakes with its Windows 10 upgrade policy and behaviors. He reminds us that enduring patterns of mistreatment is a bad precedent not only in our personal relationships, but also in our relationships as customers of products and services. You don’t have to take it! Nor should we.

Brian’s longer written article, “NIXING Windows“, about why Microsoft’s behavior is a threat to your personal and professional computing life, and how you might consider an personal computer operating system such as Linux, is on his LinkedIn profile at

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/nixing-windows-brian-shunamon?trk=prof-post

Thank-you, Brian!

Microsoft hit a new low in their obnoxious campaign to upgrade customers’ PCs that were Windows 7 or 8 to Windows 10. The user interface is almost impossible to say “no” to when the dreaded Win10 upgrade message appears.

Anecdotes about affected customers Tim knows and a critique of two freeware utilities that can keep a Windows machine under the user’s control are featured in this short episode. When will Microsoft learn to respect customer’s private property and offer an honest UI to upgrade to Windows 10? Never, probably. The brand is suffering as Microsoft demonstrates contempt for their paying customers and tricks customers into forced upgrades.

Hypnotically cool documentary of Lenny’s Shirts:
https://youtu.be/eAuNU8npRv0

Lenny’s Shirts store on Etsy:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/LennyShirts?ref=unav_listing-r

Paul Thurott’s excellent article explains the whole mess:
https://www.thurrott.com/windows/windows-10/67367/upgradegate-microsofts-upgrade-deceptions-undermining-windows-10

Steve Gibson of GRC created Never10 to let owners regain control of their Windows PC:
https://www.grc.com/never10.htm

GWX Control Panel is not as easy to use as Never10, but offers more configuring options:
http://ultimateoutsider.com/downloads/

The Windows 10 upgrade has become infamous for its pushy, hard sell approach and its “phone home” data tracking “features”. Did you know the “hard sell” is known by such other fun names as “advance consent” and “inertia selling”? It’s all about disrespecing customers’ property rights, personal rights, and using people as objects for short term gain instead of offering them a decent value proposition.

As recounted in this episode, even the technical implementation has flaws that result in a customer experience that disappoints at best and enrages customers at worst. At least, this customer was not satisfied.

For those of you who share my concerns at Microsoft’s disresepctful, anti-customer approach, the GWX control panel may offer some relief from the Windows 10 upgrade annoyance. Check it out at
http://ultimateoutsider.com/downloads/

NOTE: This critique is of the Windows 10 upgrade process itself, not of Windows 10’s user experience as an operating system and user interface.

In service design and delivery, people are the user interface between an organization and its customers. This anecdotal episode recounts two excellent customer experiences with two seemingly well-run companies. Both employ people whose friendly personalities and professional skills, backed by efficient business processes, won them Tim’s business.
Story 1: WOW Internet makes switching from internet service provider AT&T Uverse painless and affordable.
Story 2: A Plus Auto Repair & Transmission shows how to win expensive repair jobs over Hodges Subaru, an official dealership.

A bonus critique of the ConnectSense CS-TH Wireless Temperature Sensor shows how crucial first time setup is and the consequences of it failing. Product setup is your brand’s ambassador! Don’t screw it up!

Merry Christmas, Yuletide Greetings, and Happy New Year. Please submit a review on the iTunes Store if you want to thank us for another year of episodes.

Wayne Neale, CEO of Kaydak, joins Tim Keirnan for an interview that ranges across several topics:
* Experience Design: From UI to User Experience to Customer Experience and beyond
* Design Thinking
* Service Design

You can find Wayne at
http://www.kydak.com/

The service design episodes of Design Critique Tim mentioned can be heard here:

http://designcritique.net/dc32b-interview-cafe-design-with-tom-diab

http://designcritique.net/dc47-interview-designing-the-ux-of-conferences-with-jared-spool

http://designcritique.net/10th-anniverary-episode-with-tom-brinck-on-starbucks-customer-experience

The Tim Cook interview that gives Tim a glimmer of hope that Apple isn’t completely a lost cause:
http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2015/10/01/445026470/apple-ceo-tim-cook-privacy-is-a-fundamental-human-right

Listener Garrick Dee emailed to say he liked our Sustainable Shaving Tools episode and he’s written his own article on traditional wet shaving. Check it out!
http://www.groomingessentialsblog.com/how-to-wet-shave/

The Design Critique podcast celebrates its tenth anniversary! While others have podfaded, we have persevered.
In this anniversary episode, show co-founder Tom Brinck returns to discuss the customer experience of Starbucks coffee shops with Tim Keirnan. Tom is the power user and Tim is the newbie. Two very different perspectives.
This anniversary episode’s album art features a cake with a Star Wars action figure on it, as befits any ten-year-old’s birthday cake. And you must admit it’s cool to have Palpatine himself with us, ready to slice, dice, and fry hypocritically corrupt Jedi. As they well deserved.
Thank-you for listening to us for ten years. And thanks to everyone who appeared on the show with us. Customer Experience research and design is more popular than ever, and if this show has helped you improve your products and services, or helped you acquire really good products that truly improved your life, we have accomplished our goal.
Best regards,
Tim and Tom