We Chatted with the 2018 Xbox MVPs and Here’s What We Learned
Earlier this month, I was pleased to accept an invitation to present at the 2018 Xbox MVP Summit, alongside Bradley and David (two regular posters right here on the blog). It was a great space to share how the Xbox Insider Team fits into Team Xbox by helping drive change. More importantly, it was a fantastic opportunity for us to talk with dedicated members of the Xbox community.
We learned a lot during our hour-long discussion with the Xbox MVPs, including things we’re doing well and things we can do better. We won’t spend too long talking about the former, as we try hard to be a future-facing team; however, many of our “Best Moments of 2017,” featured here, were brought up and celebrated. The Xbox Insider Blog even received a few compliments, which was great to hear!
So what did we learn from the Xbox MVPs? Namely, that we still have some work to do in terms of communication. Here were some key callouts and here’s what we plan to do to begin solving for them:
I’m a long-time Xbox Insider, but I was unfamiliar with some of the recent changes made to the Xbox One Update Preview.
We were surprised to find out that some of the Xbox MVPs didn’t know that we’ve made the Xbox One Update Preview much more flexible. Not only can users switch between the rings available to them on-console, but those changes (along with general registration) are now nearly instantaneous. We’ve promoted these changes here on the blog and in support documentation, but we can always communicate more widely and regularly.
So what do we plan to do about it? We’ll be reminding users of these changes (and others!) in the future by partnering with the Xbox Ambassadors and implementing a series of “Did You Know?” Quick Polls in the Xbox Insider Hub. Not only will users be able to gain XP for and interact with their gaming communities this way, but they’ll also learn even more about the Xbox Insider Program.
I’m never sure if I’m being heard when I “Report a problem” on-console.
It’s easy to feel like your voice is getting lost in a sea of information, but we assure you that isn’t the case. Every issue reported via the console is looked at by someone on our team – you can learn more about engageable bug reports here.
How can we make our Xbox Insiders feel heard? By making a better effort to let you all know we’ve heard you, of course! In the past, we’ve awarded XP for bug reports that have been actioned on, and we plan to continue doing this. We’ll also look to share more posts about changes and features made based off of individual feedback.
It’s difficult to “Report a problem” using my controller.
This was a completely understandable comment made by the Xbox MVPs, and we’re sure it’s a sentiment many of you share. We suggest using a Chatpad or keyboard to help with this, but we recognize that isn’t an option for everyone.
How are we going to make it easier for every Xbox user to report a problem? We’ve got some ideas for this, but we’re not quite ready to share them. Keep an eye on the blog for future updates and announcements regarding the “Report a problem” tool.
The Xbox Insider Program doesn’t necessarily feel right for me as an individual.
Everything is personal preference, of course, but we want to make sure this feedback isn’t a result of feeling unwelcome. Team Xbox needs feedback from every kind of gamer to make sure that our products and services are the best they can be for the entire community.
How do we build a bigger community? This is a big goal of ours, and something we’ve been partnering with groups like Women in Gaming and Gaming for Everyone on. You might have noticed members of our team represented on the Women in Gaming Instagram, for example. Given that Instagram isn’t a platform we often explore, we’ll be partnering with Women in Gaming on some fun posts and stories again very soon!
Thanks again to the Xbox MVPs for the open discussion – it’s always great to hear from Xbox fans!