Idea #21045: "Users create lots of incomplete/incorrect bug reports after having problems"

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Idea #21045: Users create lots of incomplete/incorrect bug reports after having problems

Written by omegamormegil the 13 Aug 09 at 19:32. Related project: launchpad.net. Status: New

Rationale

Normal users who experience problems in Ubuntu and want to let someone know about it are told to submit a bug report.

Two big problems with this are:

1. End Users usually don't know enough about the system to write complete bug reports.
2. There are so many incomplete or poorly reported bug reports that good bug reports are obscured on Launchpad, making Launchpad progressively less useful.

User participation in fixing bugs is important, and while we don't want to prevent users from reporting bugs, the bug reporting system is becoming less functional due to the massive number of New Open Bugs for which there isn't enough manpower to work on. End users are also prone to commenting about their own problems on bug reports which seem to be related to their issue.

Should we expect users to write bug reports? A user is a user, and not a technician. Most users don't want to be technicians. They just want to use their computers, and tell someone who can fix it when something is broken.

Ubuntu is special because it is working to make Linux usable by Human Beings.

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154
votes

Solution #1: Create an end user oriented system for reporting PROBLEMS as opposed to BUGS

Written by omegamormegil the 13 Aug 09 at 19:32.

Create a system where ordinary users can create Problem Reports documenting the SYMPTOMS of problems they are experiencing. After a Problem Report is created, it is added to a page on the user's Launchpad profile, giving them a place to keep track of the problems they have reported and any progress made on identifying the underlying bug and progress on fixing that bug. Users can comment and discuss their problems on their Problem Reports just like users like to comment and discuss their problems on bug reports right now. Commenting on bug reports should be kept to comments relating to fixing the bug.

Reported Problems could be indexed and compared, with more frequently reported user problems floating to the surface, giving the developers a good idea of what problems users are experiencing. Similar Problem Reports could be grouped together as it becomes apparent that various users have reported the same problem/symptoms, similar to duplicating bug reports, but keeping the original Problem Report of the reporter intact. Bug Triagers could tag clumps of Problem Reports with the bug suspected to be causing the problem, or Users could tag Problem Reports with bugs they think likely to be causing the problem. When the patch for a bug is in -proposed, the Problem Reports could be notified and invited to test the new version of the package to see if it fixes their problem.

A friendly support widget could be created to help users create problem reports. Perhaps functionality could also be added to direct users reporting common problems to documentation or other help resources to correct their problem.

[...]

Advantages of implementing something like this:

-Less bugs reported which makes actual bugs stand out more in Launchpad
-Users are more satisfied with the experience of reporting their problems, without having to get technical
-Users that might otherwise be intimidated by Launchpad will be reporting problems they experience in a less noisy way for developers
-Users can keep track of their problems on Launchpad, and can check the progress of any bugs causing their problems
-Users could be directed to help in fixing problems which aren't bugs, without going through the trouble and frustration of documenting their "bug" only to have a friendly Triager tell them it isn't a bug months later.
-Trying to triage bugs becomes less like drinking from a firehose.

Reported Problems could be indexed and compared, with more frequently reported user problems floating to the surface, giving the developers a good idea of what problems users are experiencing.  Similar Problem Reports could be grouped together as it becomes apparent that various users have reported the same problem/symptoms, similar to duplicating bug reports, but keeping the original Problem Report of the reporter intact.  Bug Triagers could tag clumps of Problem Reports with the bug suspected to be causing the problem, or Users could tag Problem Reports with bugs they think likely to be causing the problem.  When the patch for a bug is in -proposed, the Problem Reports could be notified and invited to test the new version of the package to see if it fixes their problem.

A friendly support widget could be created to help users create problem reports.  Perhaps functionality could also be added to direct users reporting common problems to documentation or other help resources to correct their problem.

Advantages of implementing something like this:

-Less bugs reported which makes actual bugs stand out more in Launchpad
-Users are more satisfied with the experience of reporting their problems, without having to get technical
-Users that might otherwise be intimidated by Launchpad will be reporting problems they experience in a less noisy way for developers
-Users can keep track of their problems on Launchpad, and can check the progress of any bugs causing their problems
-Users could be directed to help in fixing problems which aren't bugs, without going through the trouble and frustration of documenting their "bug" only to have a friendly Triager tell them it isn't a bug months later.
-Trying to triage bugs becomes less like drinking from a firehose.

18
votes

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Comments

Dataphile wrote on the 17 Aug 09 at 05:24

I agree with solution #1, but I want to point out a few elements I think are critical:

1) Users only care about getting their issue resolved.

Users don't want to file a bug and be pointed at documentation. They know something broke, what they want is resolution. Bug reporting offers something documentation cannot, interactive Q&A (albeit at the expense of the developer).

This also means that users want to see progress toward getting their issue resolved. Just having ambient issues floating on a user page doesn't accomplish this. There needs to be a process by which developers take ownership of the issues that users are experiencing. There also needs to be a way to give feedback to users about how long it will take to get resolution to their problem.

If they are open questions, they can be kicked out to a brainstorm or blueprint to be part of the solution, but otherwise, they should reach a developer within a finite amount of time, and at a minimum be told "I'm sorry, I can't duplicate your problem".

2) Correlation of reports should be done by developers

User reports are wildly distinct in the wording they use to describe the same problem. Developers like to hand wave that similar problems are really the same, and this becomes a problem for users that can't discern the developer's intent.

My feeling is that there needs to be an automated diagnostic system, and the developers need to control (or delegate) the questions that are asked. This means they can only blame themselves if bug reports are ill-defined. New bugs, however would be apparent, as they would not be resolved by established diagnostics, and could open up a new Q&A with the developer until reaching resolution.

omegamormegil wrote on the 17 Aug 09 at 16:12

There is a blueprint for Symptom Based Bug Reporting (which I just noticed) that deals with making bug reporting easier for end users would help a little bit with this problem. Here is the link: https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/desktop-karmic-symptom-based-bug- reporting

cos wrote on the 3 Sep 09 at 11:01

@Solution #2
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu ?

This is ridiculous, though! There are so many linux/ubuntu-related resources available online (many of them put up by Canonical), but there is ZERO integration between them. In fact this is the first I hear of the above website, and I came across UbuntuHCL.org purely by accident.

How many of you have never heard of http://hardware4linux.info/ ?
I find that's the best available resource for linux hardware compatibility, but I also found that by accident and after googling a problem extensively and for several days!

Even if a problem-oriented website is set up as described in this idea, it will likely remain in complete obscurity. Canonical, what we really need is a link hub to all these resources!

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