Skype Users Slam Microsoft's Attempt To Infuse App With Social Media Magic (theregister.co.uk)

Last month Skype announced a major update to its messaging and video calling app. The update brought a visual revamp, as well as "social features" such as Highlights that were first introduced by Snapchat. At any rate, it turns out, people are not enjoying the update as much as Microsoft had hoped. From a report: Reviews of the Android and iOS versions of the app have been mostly terrible, and those posted to the Windows App Store have not been much better. Chief among the issues is that the redesign imagines Skype as a youth-oriented social media app along the lines of Instagram or Snapchat, rather than a staid business communications tool. "This new app is absolutely terrible," observes an individual posting to Google Play under the name Kulli Kelder. "Skype is mostly used by people for professional use or for connecting with friends far away. This looks as far from simple and professional as it can be. Skype does NOT need to be Snapchat ." The Skype team clearly has a different view of its work. "We think it's the best Skype we've ever built -- inside and out -- and it's been designed to make it easier for you to use for your everyday communications," the company said last month. A few individuals have expressed similar enthusiasm, but among those reviewing the most recent update, one-star ratings dominate. Of the 20 most-recent reviews posted to the iTunes App Store, 19 out of 20 award one star out of five. The other is two stars.

Comments

Use GNU Ring instead

[grumpy-cowboy]

https://ring.cx/

This seems to be a trend

[Anonymous Coward]

In the last month or so I've had three updates to apps that have been terrible

1. WeatherBug used to be the best weather app by far, but a recent upgrade made it unusable so I switched to weatherunderground
2. Hulu revamped their app with terrible Ux as a result. I now avoid Hulu unless I'm watching on my Tivo which has not updated yet (and I hope it won't).
3 Now skype.

Is this bad SW engineering or Sw engineers being forced into bad decisions by managers that don't get that Ux is not just about eye candy it's also about how easy it is for a user to achieve what they want to do with as little effort as possible. To me, at least, usability out weighs eye candy every time

Skype and Zune

[QuietLagoon]

...Skype does NOT need to be Snapchat ....

Obviously, Microsoft thinks it does. Microsoft is being left behind by the world of social media. So Microsoft wants to use Skype the same way they used Zune --- an attempt to play catch-up with the market leaders.

not fooling me!

[citylivin]

A "ring" at a CX domain?

Is it a firey red ring by chance, spread far and wide for all to see? ( no, i am under no circumstances being fooled into clicking that link! i been around here too long!)