Microsoft WIN 8

The new head of Windows — Sinofsky’s successor — Julie Larson-Green says it takes Windows 8 users between “two days and two weeks” to grow accustomed to the new Metro Start screen, Charms bar, and other Windows 8 interface changes. Furthermore, after six weeks, Larson-Green says that users start using new/Metro features, rather than seeking out the old, familiar Windows desktop features.

This data comes from Microsoft’s own telemetry, which is provided by (millions of) users who opt into the Customer Experience Improvement Program. The CEIP sends anonymized usage data to Microsoft so that it can see how its software is being used, and thus make adjustments in the future. Microsoft famously used CEIP data to justify the removal of the Start menu (it showed that the Start menu had been superseded by the taskbar). According to Larson-Green, 90% of users find both the Charms menu and the Start screen during their first session. It isn’t clear if these figures are for desktops, touch-screen devices, or both.

Larson-Green, in an interview with Technology Review, also defends the lack of a real tutorial to explain Windows 8′s new features. She says that tutorials are “comforting,” but that users don’t actually retain much of the information, making them a waste of time. It’s still a bit sad that only 90% of users find the Start screen, though; that means that a full 10% of Windows 8 users navigate to the Desktop… and then can’t find their way back. Presumably they eventually just reboot their computer to return to the Start screen.

The most interesting tidbit, of course, is that it takes between two and six weeks to appreciate Windows 8′s new features, and to actually begin using the Metro Start screen. Larson-Green doesn’t break it down, but presumably she’s talking about people using Metro apps and live tiles, rather than traditional Desktop apps and taskbar pinning. There are two ways of interpreting this data: First, is switching to Windows 8 worth the two-to-six-week readjustment period? Second, while it obviously takes some time to adjust, maybe the situation isn’t quite as bad as some noisy critics would have us believe. Last week there was a hilarious story about a MIT professor who couldn’t get his head around Windows 8 — and yet the stats clearly show that average users have no problem coming to grips with Windows 8, given a little time.

This is not a tutorial[/caption]Perhaps more importantly, though, Larson-Green’s stats only illustrate how long it takes to use Windows 8′s new features — they give us no indication how long it takes for users to become proficient or professional. Yes, these stats who that humans are good at adapting, but we still have no idea whether the Windows 8 interface is actually more efficient or easier to use than Windows 7. Yes, I might start using the Start screen after a month — but is that necessarily a good thing, or am I merely the loser of a war of attrition?

Source: extremetech

Six weeks to new way of life. Sounds cool

yes, i think it is cool too. not along period

like always same sh*t with another name...

that is very interesting

More like may take up to 6 days to switch back to windows 7

Get Welcome to Classic Shell instead

well i do have windows 7 ultimate genuine license os on my laptop and recently got hold of a windows 8 pro genuinei ense but i am not yet convinced i should upgrade .... many of my friends complained windows 8 is glitchy and not reliable as windows 7.I think i will sell my windows 8 pro license so if there is a yone outjere looking for windows 8 pro MSDN genuine license then shoot me a PM to negociate