In this exercise, you will learn about the new Feedback Client. During the course of software development, it is important to capture feedback from project stakeholders (end-users, product owners, and so on) to ensure that the progress the team is making is on track to meet the requirements that the stakeholders have in mind. It enables the capture of audio, video, screenshots, and other attachments to be linked to Team Foundation Server feedback work items.
- Log in as Annie, who is responsible for representing customer interests and user experience. All user passwords are P2ssw0rd.
Launch the Microsoft Feedback Client from Start | All Programs | Microsoft Visual Studio 11.
Figure 36
Starting the Microsoft Feedback Client
As the application loads, it will connect to Team Foundation Server. Select the FabrikamFiber team project.
Figure 37
Connecting to the FabrikamFiber team project
When project stakeholders launch the Feedback Client in this manner, it will operate in a voluntary feedback mode, which you can see indicated in the instructions section. This allows project stakeholders to provide feedback to the team without being prompted to do so. Any feedback will be saved to the team project that was selected during launch.
Figure 38
Feedback Client after loading
Select the settings button in the bottom right-hand corner of Feedback Manager.
Figure 39
Location of settings button
Note that we can modify screenshot settings and select an audio recording device here. Since this virtual machine does not support audio, we will not attempt to make a selection. Press the Escape key to continue.
Figure 40
Viewing settings for Microsoft Feedback Client
Let’s say that we have a suggestion for the Fabrikam Fiber intranet site. We have heard from our management team that the intranet site should not be able to delete employees from the database, because this should be done by the Fabrikam Fiber Human Resources team using a separate application. Select the Provide tab at the top of the Feedback Client window.
Figure 41
Provide tab of Feedback Client
Launch Internet Explorer and click on the FF Intranet Portal button in the favorites bar to load the Fabrikam Fiber intranet portal.
Figure 42
Launching Fabrikam Fiber intranet portal
We can now interact with the Fabrikam Fiber application to provide feedback on the working software. Select the Employees link at the top to view the employees grid.
Figure 43
Selecting the Employees link
Note that there is a Delete link next to each of the listed employees. This seems like a good place to raise the issue to the product team.
Figure 44
Locating the Delete employee link
In the Feedback Client, enter “We do not want to be able to delete employees directly from the intranet portal.”
Figure 45
Providing feedback
Attach a screenshot by clicking on the Screenshot button. By default, this will allow you to draw a rectangle to define the area that you wish to capture. Hold the left mouse button down and move the mouse until you highlight the employees edit screen.
Figure 46
Selecting the area to capture for the screenshot
Note that the screenshot is placed in line with the other feedback. We would like to highlight the area of the screenshot that we are referring to, so double-click on the screenshot to load it with Paint.
Figure 47
Double-clicking on screenshot opens image in editor
By default, MS Paint is used, but you can use your tool of choice by configuring this in the settings dialog that you saw at the beginning of this exercise.
In Paint, select a red color and draw a circle around the column showing the Delete links.
Figure 48
Annotating the screenshot
Close Paint and save the changes to the image to return to the Feedback Client. Note that the update is immediately shown.
Figure 49
Annotated screenshot
Note that it is also possible to record video and audio, add additional file attachments, and edit the feedback text using rich text capabilities of the Feedback Client.
Figure 50
Feedback Client provides for flexible, natural feedback
Now that we are done with our feedback, select the Submit tab or the Next button to continue.
Figure 51
Move to the Submit step with Feedback Client
Here you can review the feedback one last time and see where it will be saved. Select the Submit and Close button to finish.
Figure 52
Submit the voluntary feedback to the team
Launch Internet Explorer and click on the TFS Web Access button in the favorites bar to load the FabrikamFiber web access site.
Figure 53
Launching FabrikamFiber web access site
After the FabrikamFiber web access site loads, select the Work link.
Figure 54
Navigating to Work page
On the Work page, select the Work Items tab.
Figure 55
Navigating to Work Items page
Find the Feedback Response work item that we submitted and single-click on it to load the details.
Figure 56
Voluntary feedback is submitted as a Feedback Response work item
During the next planning meeting, the team can look at the feedback responses, triage them as appropriate, and the determine how to address the feedback. Some feedback responses may be classified as a bug, whereas some feedback may translate into new user stories or tasks. With the new Feedback Response work item still selected, select the context menu drop-down button to the left of the work item and then select the “Link selected item(s) to a new work item…” option.
Figure 57
Linking feedback to a new work item
In this case, we would like link the feedback as a child to a new Product Backlog Item. The new Product Backlog Item will show up during the next iteration planning meeting and can then be broken down into tasks. Take a look at the link types that are available and notice that the new relationship is shown in a diagram. Make the selections as shown in the following screenshot, and then click the OK button.
Figure 58
Creating a new work item that links to the feedback
- Select the Save and Close button.
- The Feedback Client also operates in a mode where stakeholders can be directly solicited for feedback via email. This could be useful at any point during development. Perhaps a prototype is finished and the team would like some general feedback, or a specific task was completed and the team would like feedback for validation.
For our purposes in this lab, let’s assume that we would like to get some feedback on the Fabrikam Fiber intranet portal’s ability to edit customer records. In Internet Explorer, return to the FabrikamFiber web access Home screen. Under the Activities heading, select the Request feedback link.
Figure 59
Initiating a request for feedback
In the Request Feedback window, select Brian Keller as the stakeholder to request feedback from. Use the Web Application option and enter the URL to the intranet site, https://intranet.fabrikam.com. In the textbox just under the URL, provide the instructions to go along with the web application, “Please use IE9 or higher.” Title the feedback request “Please provide some feedback on the current customer records editing functionality.” Also provide some instructions below the title text box, such as “Go to intranet portal, click on Customer link, then Edit link for any customer.”
Figure 60
Creating the request for feedback
You can add as many feedback items as you want by clicking on the ‘add feedback item’ link.
Once the feedback request is ready to go, select the Send button to send email to Brian.
Figure 61
Sending email with the feedback request
Once the feedback request is sent, a notification is added to the Fabrikam Fiber web access Home screen. This work item has a type of Feedback Request.
Figure 62
Newly created Feedback Request work item
Now let’s simulate Brian receiving the email and starting a feedback session from that. Open an explorer window and navigate to the c:\inetpub\mailroot\drop folder. Find the most recent email message and double-click to open it in Outlook.
The VM that you are using for this lab does not have a full email server running on it, therefore we need to simulate sending and receiving email with this extra step.
Figure 63
Simulation of Brian receiving feedback request email
With the email open in Outlook, select the “Start your feedback session” link to start the Feedback Client.
Figure 64
Starting feedback session directly from email
After the Feedback Client has started, select the application link to load the Fabrikam Fiber intranet portal.
Figure 65
Starting the application as instructed
Select the Next button to move to provide the requested feedback.
Figure 66
Selecting Next button
Follow the instructions provided by selecting the Customers link to navigate to the Customers page.
Figure 67
Navigating to Customers page
Next, select the Edit link for one of the listed customers.
Figure 68
Editing customer details
Brian knows that customer records contain phone numbers, and the users of the Fabrikam Fiber intranet portal commonly need to update these phone numbers for customers who are calling about their service. Here we can see that the edit screen does not allow us to update that customer field.
Figure 69
Viewing the customer edit screen
In the Feedback Manager window, enter some feedback about this issue such as “We need to provide a way to update customer phone numbers.”
Figure 70
Adding feedback
Add a screenshot, as you did before, to the feedback that shows the current edit screen. It is often useful to provide as much context as possible when describing an issue.
Figure 71
Screenshot added to feedback showing context
Let’s say that, aside from the missing field, we think that the customer edit screen looks good. Rate the item 4/5 stars to provide the team some measurable feedback.
Figure 72
Rating the feedback based on the request
Select the Next button to move on to the submission part of the feedback.
Figure 73
Done entering feedback
Review your feedback and then select the Submit and Close button to finish.
Figure 74
Submitting feedback
Return to the Fabrikam Fiber web access site, navigate to the Home page, and then select the green Feedback Requests tile in the Team Favorites section.
Figure 75
Loading the Feedback Requests work item query
Locate the Feedback Response that was just created.
Due to our workflow simulation, the feedback response will be incorrectly titled because, for simplicity, we have been logged in as Annie throughout the lab. Imagine that the Title of the new work item reads “Feedback Response from Brian Keller…”
Figure 76
Feedback Response work item selected
Double-click on the Feedback Response work item to open it. The Notes tab is selected by default so that you can see the direct feedback.
Figure 77
Feedback Response notes
Select the System Info tab and note that the Feedback Client also provided some system information by default. This type of information is often very helpful to have when understanding the behavior of an application and is often overlooked by stakeholders when they provide feedback.
Figure 78
System information recorded by the Feedback Client
Finally, select the All Links tab and note that this Feedback Response work item is a child of the original Feedback Request work item that was emailed to Brian.
Figure 79
Feedback responses are automatically linked to the original request