I often stumble across a report of something someone would like to improve in AutoCAD or Autodesk products posted in a forum or blog or even down in a nested comment. Perhaps it is venting, ranting, perhaps it is wishful thinking or an expectation that the members of the small Autodesk product teams can find these items and enact change. Please please please, if you find bugs or have wish list items you want to get acted on make sure to get them to the people that develop the product. If we do not know about it you are likely to not see it addressed in a future release of the product. If you get involved and report it you just may see it in a future release as well as quite possibly get a deeper understanding of the why it has been that way if it were intentional behavior.
This is similar to another peeve of mine and that is some that publish bug lists on their blogs, articles, email newsletters etc. don't report the bugs to the software vendor. Where's the benefit of that withholding or delay to fellow users of that software? It makes for more pain as some will compile this list over time and later publish. It can be a missed opportunity for the software vendor to fix the issue or even know about the issue for research.
For Autodesk Software:
Report bugs and product comments and suggestions to the actual product teams: Product Feedback or if you are a Autodesk Subscription customer, log the product support issues online.
Nominate Wish List Items: http://www.augi.com membership is free and it is made up of fellow Autodesk product users. There is an AutoCAD and Autodesk Inventor wish list and you can nominate and vote on wish list items which are provided to Autodesk by AUGI. The voting helps know the priority of items.
Below is my reply to a comment on another blog responding to a person I know very well and respect Matt Stachoni. Matt posted a lengthy commentary about what he would like changed in AutoCAD yet he posted this on a non Autodesk site in a comment to a blog post but luckily I spotted it. I have been trying to get Matt involved in beta testing, test drives, and usability and other customer feedback projects for years and I am aware he is busy but he had the time to post a lengthy comment in one little corner of the Internet, right? ;-)
"Autodesk is always listening and trying to improve. Some things irk us as well. It is important to mention some things just appear different or clear and easy from the outside looking in but that may not always be the case as I have seen both sides as I have been a customer and AutoCAD Team member.
I am shocked that Matt and Ralph could only come up with these lists as there are so many things that could be changed and implemented better or different for a 25 year young product that is used in so many ways. Some items can also take time as well in addition to planning and customer feedback loops to make sure that we are on track and what they asked for.
In my opinion it is all about trying to accommodate everyone and but realizing it is difficult to hit the bulls eye 100% of the time or satisfy everyone all of the time, but you must keep trying.
So you realize we have many more years of product improvement. We constantly crawl the blogs, forums, emails, surveys, user events, etc and other customer feedback locations to stumble upon feedback but please make sure to get your feedback to Autodesk so we don't miss it. So be sure to get involved in the process and not just yell from the sidewalk while the parade passes.
AUGI membership is free and made up of fellow product users and allows and encourages you to nominate your own pet peeves and vote on changes to AutoCAD and Autodesk Inventor.
OK now go nominate some items as well as get involved in actively shaping the future of Autodesk products! :-)
Not sure if this is a new saying but I wrote it at the moment and it made perfect sense to me.
Get involved in the process, not just yell from the sidewalk while the parade passes.
Cheers,
Shaan
