Two Most Annoying Recent Internet Trends

 Pushy and intrusive interactions that could be avoided using opt-in or other approaches instead...

#2) Micro-Feedback

The constant requests for ratings and feedback are becoming ridiculous.    Why do I need to get an email or pop-up from every online vendor for every single transaction asking for feedback?  I appreciate striving for quality and improvement, but somewhat fewer prompts and requests would be appreciated.  

I should try this approach at work and constantly barrage my boss for feedback. "How would you rate my participation at that meeting yesterday, on a scale of 1 to 5 stars?  Was satisfied were you with my on-time delivery of that report [picture of me delivering report attached]?"

#1) First Visit Interruptus 

Who decided that every first visit to a new website (or first visit on a new browser) should be interrupted by a pop-up requiring you to declare your cookie preferences?  Your options is to accept everything (which invariable involves accepting highly intrusive tracking cookies) or take the time to read and interpret a list of frequently non-informative options.  

This should most definitely be an opt-in feature that defaults to all cookies off and you can click a button to activate the selection pop-up if you want to activate the cookies.

Dell Support Assist

UPDATE:  It has been a month since I deleted Dell Support Assist from my computer, only to find it reinstalled complete with new icon on my desktop.  Grr, this is harder to get rid of then I expected.

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Dell may have good intentions in providing Support Assist on their Windows PCs, but I have found this application to be a nuisance.  Let me provide examples of why this app is problematic.

It started when my computer was acting very unresponsive, taking minutes to open a browser window, delays in registering mouse clicks and typing.   So I open the task manager (which also takes a while to open) and it says a process called PC-Doctor Module is slowing down my CPU and eating up a ton of RAM.  

PROBLEM #1 - Why is the process called PC-Doctor when the App is called SupportAssist?

I had to search the internet to figure out that this process is tied to Dell's Support Assist program.  Also why doesn't Dell call it Dell Support Assist?  Searching my local machine for Dell or Assist or Doctor would not find it.  I had to search for Support.

PROBLEM #2 - This App was running on auto-schedule at 2pm

This is a time when I might be (was) actively using my computer.  Why did it pick that time for the auto-schedule.  I most certainly didn't pick it.

PROBLEM #3 - This App does not sufficiently warn you of problems

Once I tracked down that this app was my problem and opened it up, it reported a failed diagnostic test. Other than giving an esoteric failure statement, there were no details or suggestions on how to fix the problem. Also, why didn't it notify me of the issue?  I didn't even know it was running and would have never opened it up if it wasn't causing general issues with the PC.  There is a checkbox for notifications (which was enabled).  Perhaps there is something else blocking notifications that I haven't realized, but if I never know that it found an issue, then I don't need it running and slowing down my computer.

 

Mandatory Opt-In

I came across this "opt-in" checkbox recently when filling out a registration form to download some technical software for evaluation.  Apparently the vendor does not know the meaning of the term "opt-in".