Ducks in a Row: Actions are as Thinking is
by Miki Saxon
Microsoft has done a lot of dumb things over the years and they haven’t stopped yet.
A recent ad campaign for Windows Azure implied it was “so easy, even an older woman can do it.”
This on top of an earlier tweet from @WindowsAzure.
“What do you do when your 68-year-old secretary needs Active Directory Multi-Factor Authentication? Ask Dear Azure.”
Social media wasn’t happy and Microsoft ended up apologizing for its “poor judgment.”***
However, Microsoft’s apology doesn’t cut much ice when viewed in light of the dynamics that drove/are driving the development of Windows 8.
According to a person who claims to be on the Windows 8 design team this is the thinking behind Metro.
It’s designed for your computer illiterate little sister, for grandpas who don’t know how to use that computer dofangle thingy, and for mom who just wants to look up apple pie recipes.
I have a low opinion of Win8 based on hearsay and the bad reviews I’ve read, but that’s beside the point.
Assuming what the programmer shared is even relatively accurate it shows that the ad was more business as usual than an error in judgment.
It reflects a corporate MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy™) grounded in the C suite and begs the question of whether it will continue in a world sans Ballmer and Gates.
***In fairness, Geek Feminism says this gaff is common.
No phrase expresses the meme of female technical ineptitude more neatly than “So simple, even your [grand]mother could do it.” This is a very commonly encountered form of condescension.
Flickr image credit: Metassus
