Reflections on Convergence 2008-Is Microsoft About to Become Warm and Cuddly on Us?

One of the more intriguing sessions at Convergence 2008 in Orlando was one led by Jakob Nielsen, who has the intriguing title, "Principal User Experience Manager" of Microsoft Dynamics.

He defined his mission as "to create a Microsoft Dynamics people love." Then he raised this obvious question: "What makes people LOVE certain products?"

He said his group in Copenhagen has seven studies going on, involving some 300 to 400 people via surveys, focus groups, and "cognitive walkthroughs" to gain "a deep understanding of the people who use our software," with particular emphasis on "emotional aspects."

The simple fact that someone like Nielsen is doing what he's doing, and was trotted out for an appearance before the media during the most important Dynamics gathering of the year, is striking because Microsoft isn't known for letting itself become distracted by the emotions and feelings around software-that's supposed to be Apple's bailiwick. But in the context of the messages being put forth by senior Microsoft executives during this year's Convergence, Nielsen's presentation makes sense. There were really three points Microsoft executives hammered home about their priorities in evolving versions of Dynamics products:

1. Integration. Microsoft executives emphasized that they have given over much attention to enabling Dynamics programs to work together with other Microsoft products. According to the company's CEO, Steve Ballmer, in his keynote address at Convergence, "We have been very focused in as a company from the Office side, from the SharePoint side, as well as from the Dynamics side, in filling in that white space in the middle. How do you connect people so that they can from their personal productivity environment look into what's really going on inside the business, inside the business applications? How do you let people collaborate ...